


I Don't Want A Lot For Christmas

by RookieSand



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: College AU, F/F, Gals being pals, Modern AU, hopeless pining hilda, just girl things, marianne is oblivious and dumbass, needed a date for a christmas party, not tagging all the characters, probably mostly in text convos, they're just gonna pop in and out, winter time tropes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-01-26 15:27:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21376336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RookieSand/pseuds/RookieSand
Summary: Hilda needs a date for her parents' Christmas Party because she absolutely cannot go stag. Unfortunately, as she was asking out the girl of her dreams, she accidentally slips up and tells her she can spend all of their winter break at her house. Of course she would do that. Just great.
Relationships: Marianne von Edmund/Hilda Valentine Goneril
Comments: 42
Kudos: 430





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> this will probably actually be kind of short and the only reason I'm breaking it up is for easy reading really. That said this probably won't update for a little bit. I'm sorry
> 
> watch my lying ass update this like tomorrow or next day.

> **HILDA**: I was thinking about taking Marianne to my parents' Christmas party 

Hilda was lying in her bed holding her phone up above her face. She scrolled lazily through Instagram while she waited for the reply. It was a little late in the evening but she could still hear thumping music as the rest of the students that lived in the Golden Deer Dorms partied. It was a typical Saturday night as far as Hilda was concerned. A new message from Dorothea popped up on her screen and she clicked the message.

> **DOROTHEA:** dshkfjgfhlgjdfshlkgl WHAT? WHY??

It wasn't necessarily the response she had been hoping for. She sighed and typed back quickly.

> **HILDA:** Usually I just take Claude because I can't go stag at my family's Christmas party lest I be hit on by my parent's friend's children. However this year I want to stir up a little drama. And Claude's busy so he can't come. Basically I need a new date.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** You think Marianne is going to stir up drama? If you want drama, why not ask me or something?
> 
> **HILDA:** You've got huge boobs i absolutely can NOT go with some chick whose got bigger boobs than me. I'll be ignored all evening.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** WOW.
> 
> **HILDA:** xoxoxo no but honestly. I'm not just trying to stir up tho bringing a girl is going to get people talking. I Kind of really like Marianne. Like... just really. I want her to meet my family.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** You do??? 

Hilda sighed. She wasn't expecting Dorothea to get it right off the bat. She couldn't even really understand it. Marianne was definitely an interesting character and not someone Hilda would've seen herself falling this hard for. Marianne was a quiet and reserved girl. She rarely spoke out of turn and didn't like making eye contact. She was rather religious, although her faith seemed more ingrained as something to hold on to than it did something she actively believed in. Hilda found her loose clothing choices and sleepy eyes endearing. There was a lot she liked about Marianne even though the two hardly spoke outside of the dorms.

It seemed, to Hilda at least, to be a very one-sided crush. And, well, that did sting quite a bit. Even though Hilda was constantly flirting and touching Marianne, it didn't seem to go anywhere. Marianne's body would react but Marianne's dull expression would hardly change. She never initiated her own contact with Hilda either. Hilda could only imagine that Marianne was humoring her. That she was too polite to tell Hilda she didn't like her back. For the time being, Hilda was just glad Marianne didn't hate her. 

> **HILDA:** Well yeah I mean she's really cute. A little on the shy side but that's definitely not a dealbreaker. Idk
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Isnt she like... really religious? And like really into horses? 
> 
> **HILDA:** Not too sure about the religious stuff but she is on the equestrian team, yes. But that just means she's an athlete. That's pretty sexy, you can't deny that.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Hilda, you're on the track and field team. You're also an athlete and I'd say moreso.
> 
> **HILDA:** Why would you say that? I barely show up to practice. Marianne is there every day.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** You're literally the best at women's shot put and discus!
> 
> **HILDA:** And isn't that sexy of me? But we're talking about Marianne.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Honest advice is that if you want to shoot your shot do it. I don't think you wanting to ask her out is the worst idea you've ever had. I would just tread carefully.
> 
> **HILDA:** Okay. Tell Edelgard I said hi 
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** SHDKFJDSALFDHR SHUT UP

Hilda set her phone down, a smile on her face. Dorothea was so easy to tease. Edelgard was rarely not in her bed. She took a deep breath. Now for her moment of truth. She had to go and ask Marianne if she wanted to go to her family's Christmas party. She was praying for a yes answer. Marianne didn't seem to have much interest in her own family from what Hilda had gathered. She never went home over weekends and had stayed at the dorms over Thanksgiving break. Hilda hoped that would work in her favor.

She made her way downstairs to the main common area. She slipped into the large room unnoticed and hovered near the edge checking out the scene. 'Shots' was blasting over a set of speakers along one of the walls and the Golden Deer were chanting along with the song as Claude poured drinks down a shot ski. Sitting on the couch were Ignatz, Raphael, and Leonie. Ignatz adjusted his glasses as he stared down the shot ski. Raphael and Leonie wore matching looks of excitement. Everyone appeared to be drunk already.

"Everybody let's take shots!" Claude sang as the three picked up the ski and did their shots.

The room erupted into chaos as the three did their shots and the song picked up again. Hilda laughed and chanted along with them as her eyes scanned the room for Marianne.

Marianne was tucked up in a corner by the fireplace, sitting in an armchair. She was dressed in an oversized sweater, leggings, fuzzy slippers, and had her hair thrown up into a messy bun. Hilda's heart felt soft, the outfit was just incredibly Marianne. Marianne seemed mildly interested in what her housemates were doing, but not so much inclined to participate. Her eyes gazed over the action and she smiled when everyone had burst into laughter. Hilda sauntered over to her. 

Marianne clocked her from a mile away. She drew her feet up onto the chair and leaned onto one arm of it. Hilda smiled as she approached and climbed onto the other arm, placing her feet in Marianne's lap. She grabbed Marianne's shoulder that was farthest away from her and pulled on her. Marianne was forced to shift into Hilda. She rolled her eyes and grunted softly as Hilda leaned against her and rubbed the back of her neck. With her other hand, she turned Marianne's face toward her and ran her thumb slowly up Marianne's jaw until it came to rest on her lips. This was clearly a move Hilda used on Marianne often to try and raise a reaction out of her but Marianne barely flinched. 

"Hello, Hilda," Marianne murmured. Despite herself, her voice wavered at the end giving away that Hilda had gotten her just a little bit. "What can I do for you?"

Hilda leaned in close to Marianne's ear and licked her lips before whispering, "Can you come up to my room?" She drew out every word making it as tantalizing as possible.

Marianne let out a long breath and she couldn't stop her hand from clenching in her sleeve. It wasn't so much that she was falling for Hilda's flirting as it was that her body naturally reacted to Hilda's seductive tone. Her legs shifted and Hilda's nails dug deep into her shoulder. Marianne knew Hilda's lips had curled into a smile without even seeing them.

"I know you're messing with me," Marianne said bluntly. 

"Oh, I would never mess with you, Marianne," Hilda continued in her low, seductive whisper. Her lips touched Marianne's earlobe. When Marianne didn't pull away, she let her lips barely brush against the skin right where Marianne's ear met her face. She let out a breath, a very quiet moan mixed in with it. "It hurts to hear you say I'd mess with such a sweet girl like you."

Marianne's eyes fluttered closed. She had a death grip on her sweater sleeves as she fought her body's urge to turn her head and kiss Hilda. It would've been natural for that to happen but she refused to give in to Hilda's blatant disregard for the fact that they were in a room full of people. She did have to give credit to Hilda for being such a master of manipulation though. Even she desperately wanted all of this to be real. "I won't fall for it," she said firmly. "Just tell me what you want."

Hilda eased off of her with a roll of her eyes. Marianne was really no fun to tease. "Fine, fine," she said waving her hand in the air absently. "Be a spoilsport. I do need to talk to you in private, however." She booped Marianne on the nose. "So if you don't mind, can we go up to my room?"

Marianne sighed. "Can I at least have a hint about what you're going to ask?"

"The only hint you get it that you're absolutely not allowed to say no."

Hilda dragged Marianne up to her dorm room. Their rooms were situated right next to each other, which Hilda loved. She got to be one of the first people to see Marianne in the morning if she was able to drag herself out of bed on time. It also made her fantasize about what Marianne was doing in her room more than she ought to. But Hilda never overheard her doing anything. Marianne was a model next-door roommate. Quiet and could be mistaken for dead. 

Hilda closed the door softly behind herself and leaned against it. Marianne stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. She wasn't very tall, being about average height, but she was definitely in the lanky category. It made her look even more awkward than she already was. Hilda imagined that if Marianne actually wore her glasses, she would just be the walking definition of a geeky librarian.

"So," Hilda started as she crossed the room and sat on her bed, "have a seat."

Marianne glanced around awkwardly. "Uh... ah..." she murmured. She dropped down and sat cross-legged on the floor. She gave Hilda a somewhat bored look as she looked up at her. "Okay, I'm seated."

Hilda felt like a teacher in a classroom of small kids. She shook the thought away. "So, Marianne, do you have any plans for Christmas?"

Marianne shook her head. "My father and mother are going on a trip by themselves. The fact that I'll even be going home for break is kind of a damper for them. They thought I would stay at school and study." She shrugged and rested her chin in her hand.

Hilda blinked in surprise. Her parents had never left her behind while they went on vacation. Marianne's parents seemed a little absent. "Well, then I have the perfect proposal for you!"

"Oh, we're getting married?" Marianne deadpanned.

Hilda was caught off guard by that. She was completely thrown off her groove as her brain tried to process that. It was clear Marianne was joking but her delivery was all wrong. A real joke would've been saying that with a seductive tone and raising your eyebrows. 

"—and a winter wedding has its cons," Marianne was saying when Hilda tuned back in. "You know the weather is colder so you might be freezing in your dress. Although, is one of us going to wear a tux? I'm not exactly sure how weddings between two women are typically done. You know I could—"

"Shut up," Hilda cut in quickly as Marianne seemed to not be slowing down. "That isn't what I was saying at all. Now, listen." Marianne gave her her full attention again and Hilda straightened up. "I have a Christmas party with my family that I would like to invite you to. Free food and drinks. I'll have my parents get you a gift, you'll also get one from yours truly,"—Hilda rested her hand against her chest—" and all you have to do is show up."

Marianne looked unfazed by Hilda's offer except for the fact that her jaw had dropped slightly. Hilda watched her with bated breath as the offer slowly churned through Marianne's head. Hilda could see the cogs turning as Marianne thought through all the pros and cons of going to Hilda's party. 

Marianne seemed to come back into herself, her dazed expression dispersing for a more bored one. "The food... will it be like... rich people food?"

"What do you take me for?"

Marianne's brow furrowed as she took in this new information. "And all I need to do is show up?"

Hilda nodded. "That is what I said, yes."

"Is there a dress code?"

"You have to look presentable. You can't show up in your pajamas. In fact, I'll pick your outfit for you."

That news didn't seem to sit well with Marianne as her frown deepened. Hilda was already giddily thinking through what options she had to dress Marianne in and Marianne was thinking the same thing except in horror. 

"Well, your only option is to say yes," Hilda said. "I told you you couldn't say no. And as a bonus just for you, you may stay at my house over the break." She paused after she said that. She hadn't meant to make that part of the deal. It had just slipped out. 

Marianne leaned back on her hands and let out a defeated sigh. "Alright, I'll go. Your offer is much too good to refuse. Thank you for the kind gesture." Marianne looked up and gave her a small smile.

Hilda wasn't sure but she felt like somehow she'd been played in this scenario. She had no way to know what Marianne was thinking but her smile had seemed almost double-edged. Still, Hilda had gotten what she wanted in the end. Maybe Marianne did as well and it had been a win-win. 

Marianne climbed to her feet and stretched. Hilda couldn't help but stare as Marianne's sweater lifted. It was just long enough to keep from exposing Marianne's stomach and Hilda felt cheated. "If you will excuse me then," Marianne said. "I think the party is winding down and I would like to go to sleep."

"Good night, Marianne," Hilda said. "I'll fill you in more about the arrangement as it gets closer."

Marianne nodded once. "Good night, Hilda." She left the room.

As soon as the door closed, Hilda pulled out her phone and sent a hurried text to Dorothea.

> **HILDA:** SOS SOS SOS
> 
> **HILDA:** SOS SOS SOS
> 
> **HILDA:** ANSWER YOUR DAMN PHONE
> 
> **HILDA:** I KNOW YOU'RE WITH EDELGARD BUT I SWEAR TO GOD.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** What? I'm a little busy atm!
> 
> **HILDA:** Hi Edelgard. Can you please let Dorothea know that I'm freaking out?
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Hi, Hilda. I let her know. She said, "Bitch. What does she need?"
> 
> **HILDA:** Marianne agreed to go to my party but she's now going to be staying at my house the entire break because I can't keep my stupid mouth shut! It just tumbled out and I offered. Idk what to do. I'm freaking out.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** She said that this does not seem like an emergency and that you should sleep on it.
> 
> **HILDA:** dsjafklg WHAT GOOD IS SHE?
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** I do seem to find some uses for her.
> 
> **HILDA:** Edelgard I'm. Gonna kms. Tmi
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** My apologies. In my humble opinion, I do think she's right at least. Sleep on it and see how you feel in the morning. It just feels overwhelming in the moment. Things will turn out alright.
> 
> **HILDA:** Thanks... Ugh, okay. Good night you two. Hope you have a fun rest of the evening.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** We will. Thank you :)

Hilda brought her pillow to her face and screamed into it. It felt nice to let it out. Marianne was going to be staying at her house for two weeks. What were they going to do for two weeks? She hadn't meant for this to happen. She just needed a date to the party.


	2. Wouldn't You Like To Know

The rest of the semester went by incredibly fast and agonizingly slow. With exams coming up, Hilda barely saw Marianne around the dorms. Marianne had holed herself up in her room and Hilda had only managed to catch glimpses of her running from one place to another. They hadn't discussed Marianne coming to stay with her at all since they made the plan and Marianne wouldn't respond to any of her texts. When she did respond, she only gave one-word answers or would say she was too busy to talk at the moment.

As the date got closer, Hilda's anxiety grew. With no solid plan, she felt like any manner of things could go wrong. She could hardly focus on studying for her exams. It was practically driving her insane how close she was to having Marianne live at her house for two weeks. And all of it was only made worse by the fact that Marianne was going about her life as if they had never agreed to anything.

Hilda was waiting in the bathroom. She'd been in there for at least twenty minutes, leaned against the sinks. Marianne had to come in some time, she figured. Once she did, Hilda would force her to talk. Hilda did wish she knew how long it would take though. It was incredibly boring waiting in the bathroom. She sent a text to Dorothea.

> **HILDA:** I'm waiting in the bathroom for Marianne. Talk to me please this is so boring.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Waiting in the bathroom, huh? Guys are gonna do some stuff in the shower?
> 
> **HILDA:** Ugh, shut up. I literally can't get ahold of that girl. It's almost impossible. She'll have to pee eventually. Are you with Edelgard?
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Not today. She's at work. Why?
> 
> **HILDA:** Was hoping you could pass the phone off to her while she stuffs your face she's nicer than you and doesn't read me so hard
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** DSHAFIDSJFLAHDFSJLDA WHY AR EWE FIRENDS ??????
> 
> **HILDA:** sksksksksk and I oop 
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** You're horrible but I'll bite. I hope things go okay with Marianne. Sorry that she's being difficult. I know you're really nervous but just know that I'm rooting for you. I mean it. And if things go south I'll be there with a bucket of ice cream! Edie can come too so you can have two lovely ladies fawn over you.
> 
> **HILDA:** Thanks, Dorothea. It really means a lot.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:**

Hilda looked up as the door creaked open. Marianne came rushing in, barely glanced at her, and slammed the door to the stall shut. Hilda hadn't thought the whole plan through because waiting for Marianne was incredibly awkward in the quiet bathroom. 

When Marianne finally came out of the stall, she scurried over to the sink, avoiding any eye contact with Hilda. She went to the sink farthest from the one that Hilda was leaned on and started to wash her hands. 

"Marianne, can we talk?" Hilda asked pleasantly as she moved closer.

"I'm a little bit busy," Marianne murmured. She scrubbed her hands faster, pulled them out of the water, and flicked what excess she could off of her fingers.

"I know but we have to talk about you coming over," Hilda said as she followed Marianne over to the paper towel dispenser.

Marianne glanced over her shoulder at Hilda as she dragged the paper towel out of the dispenser. "I'd love to talk, Hilda, I really would." She turned to Hilda as she wiped her hands down. "I'm just very busy right now. You understand."

"I don't." Hilda grabbed Marianne's wrist roughly, nearly knocking the towel from her hands. "Talk to me right now."

Marianne glanced around the bathroom. "In the bathroom?"

"If that's what it takes, yes," Hilda said exasperatedly. Her grip on Marianne tightened.

Marianne wouldn't meet her eye. "What do you want to talk about?" Her voice had become quieter and less argumentative. She fidgeted absently with the paper towel, rubbing her fingers along it and starting to rip it apart.

Hilda loosened her grip again but didn't let go. She was still afraid Marianne would make a break for. "You're supposed to be spending the break at my house. I thought you would want to know the details of that..."

"Oh. I thought you were joking with me. I... didn't realize you were serious."

Hilda threw her hands up in the air. "You said yes to coming to my party! How could I not be serious?" She put her hands on her hips and looked at Marianne sharply.

Marianne shied away from her even more. "Well... you joke with me a lot... I wasn't sure."

Hilda sighed. "Yes, you're coming to my house. Have your things packed by two on the last day of exams. A car will come pick us up." Hilda left the bathroom, leaving their conversation at that.

> **HILDA:** Marianne's dumb.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Broke your heart already?
> 
> **HILDA:** I don't know. I'm just going to sleep.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Edie and I are going out for milkshakes tonight once she gets off work. Wouldn't put a damper on things if you came along. I'll buy.
> 
> **HILDA:** Okay...
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Aw. Poor thing. See you later.

Finally, exam week was upon them. Hilda was a wreck, which she hated. She had never felt so nervous about anything in her life. She could barely get Marianne out of her head enough to focus on her exams; she was just thankful that her exams weren't terribly hard, otherwise, she knew she would be in much more trouble. It didn't help that all of her friends were busy either. Dorothea was either studying, banging Edelgard, or both which meant she didn't have much time for Hilda. Claude had only come through for her once, taking her out for coffee and distracting her for an afternoon when he had free time. Neither of them had much in the way of advice to calm her, but at least they could distract her for small snippets of time. Not that it truly made much of a difference.

The last day of exams arrived and Hilda went straight back to her dorm room. She had to pack, which she hadn't even started doing. Marianne had clouded her thoughts so much that when she wasn't trying to study she would just lie in bed in a stupor. They weren't even all anxious thoughts about Marianne either. She would just lie in bed daydreaming about her. Perhaps her lack of Marianne exposure had been affecting her more than she had bargained for. 

Instead of starting on her packing, she laid in bed. Maybe the driver would help her pack when he arrived. She didn't want to start. Just the thought of it made her muscles ache.

There was a soft knock on her door. "It's Marianne," came Marianne's soft voice from the other side.

"Door is unlocked. Come on in," Hilda called. She sat up quickly and brushed her hand through her hair to make sure it looked okay. She also fixed her clothes and tried to not look as if she were wallowing in her misery. She scooted to the edge of the bed and sat with her legs crossed. It wasn't exactly a natural pose but it was already too late to try something else.

Marianne walked into the room. She was wearing her usual oversized sweater but her leggings had been upgraded to sweatpants that were far too large and hanging low on her hips. Her hair was a mess, pulled into something that Hilda supposed could be called a bun but that would've been generous. She looked even more tired than usual and was holding a large cup of coffee in her hands. "Hello," she mumbled. "I packed my things last night." She yawned.

"Did you even sleep?" Hilda asked as she relaxed her posture. Clearly, Marianne wasn't going to be admiring her.

Marianne blinked tiredly as if the question was hard to comprehend. She scratched her stomach. "Um... Yeah." She laughed awkwardly. "At least two hours."

"Marianne..."

"It's fine," Marianne said with a small, dismissive wave of her hand. "I have the essence of sleep right here." She gestured to the cup of coffee. "Gas station. French vanilla. Twenty-two ounces. I've had three of these today."

"Marianne! You're going to have a heart attack!"

Marianne nodded, mumbled, "Perhaps," and then winked at Hilda.

Hilda shook her head as she watched Marianne stumble into the room and sit on top of her desk. She pulled her knees up to her chest and sipped her coffee. Hilda couldn't exactly blame her for overextending herself. Marianne was studying pre-vet so it wasn't like she'd picked the easiest field to get herself into. Still, she looked miserable and ragged. Hilda decided to not say anything about her appearance.

Hilda made her way over to Marianne and grabbed her chin in her hand. She lifted Marianne's head. Marianne's eyes could barely stay open as she looked up at Hilda, and when she could keep them open, she had trouble focusing. The bags under them were dark purple. Hilda tilted Marianne's head back and forth, watching Marianne's eyes try and focus on her. Marianne let her, blinking slowly. She yawned. Hilda pressed the back of her hand to Marianne's forehead. It wasn't warm. She ran her hands over Marianne's neck. Nothing unusual to report there either. Marianne seemed healthy despite the lack of sleep. Hilda cupped Marianne's face in both of her hands and rubbed her thumbs against her cheeks.

"What are you doing?" Marianne finally mumbled. "You can't tease a helpless, sleep-deprived girl..."

Hilda pulled her hands away quickly. "Shut up!" she snapped defensively. She added in a grumble, "I was checking if you were sick or not."

Marianne's lips pulled into a very faint trace of a smile. "I know."

Hilda sighed. Marianne seemed to just get weirder the more tired she was. It appeared some of her shyness and politeness were pushed down as well. It was incredibly hard to read her as her brain was completely off the rails. It was almost like she was drunk. Hilda gently pet Marianne on the head and rubbed her cheek again.

"Do you need help packing?" Marianne asked, barely trying to fend Hilda off from petting her. "I don't want to be rude, but it appears you haven't done any."

Hilda nodded and let out a long exhale of disappointment. "I've been a little busy this week and I haven't had time. But you seem like you're about to pass out so if you'd rather have a nap that's fine."

"No, no. I would rather help you if that is alright with you."

"Are you sure? I don't mind you using my bed or anything. I'll wake you up in fifteen minutes if you want or something."

Marianne shook her head. "Really, Hilda, it's fine. I don't want to sleep." Her tone had become a little more desperate and she had leaned in closer towards Hilda.

Hilda could read the room. She nodded slowly. "Sorry. You can help me if you want. I really just need to stuff all my clothes in my bags."

Hilda went to her closet and pulled out three large duffel bags. Marianne scooted off the desk and started to pick up miscellaneous clothing from the floor. Hilda turned her back as her face started getting hot. It hadn't occurred to her how messy her room was. She scanned the room and noticed how much of her underwear was just lying about. Her ears were warm.

"Marianne," Hilda said softly, "could you actually start with getting the high things in the closet? You're taller than I am."

Marianne nodded and dropped what few things she had collected into one of the bags. She started to grab things off of the shelf and Hilda watched her for a moment. As Marianne, stretched up her shirt would pull up. Her pale belly was exposed and Hilda could see that she was wearing men's boxer briefs with little polar bears on them. Hilda shook her head. She supposed Marianne cared more for comfort than anything else, though Hilda couldn't deny that she would've found it sexy if she got to slide those off of Marianne. She shook the thought from her mind quickly and started to pick up her clothes.

Marianne dropped the armful of clothing she'd grabbed into the bag. "Hilda, can I ask you a rather... um... inappropriate question?"

Hilda looked over at Marianne in surprise. "Um... I suppose. But I may withhold from answering depending."

"That's fair," Marianne said with a slight nod. "Anyway, would you have sex with me?"

Hilda blushed brightly. That was nowhere near where she had thought Marianne's question was going to go. Her mouth hung open as she tried to come up with a response. "L-Like right now?" was what tumbled out.

"Oh... no." Marianne looked at her a little quizzically. "I meant more hypothetical. I guess saying 'you' was a little too personal. I was thinking more like would someone have sex with me. Do I have sex appeal?"

Hilda tried not to show her disappointment too clearly. "Um... I suppose. There's someone for everyone, so they say." She tried to shrug it off and continued to pick up clothing.

"Yeah... I guess."

Hilda couldn't leave it at that. Marianne had piqued her interest now. Why had she asked that question at all? "Is there someone you want to think of you in that way?"

"Well... no... I guess. I don't know."

"Oh my god, Marianne. Do you have a crush?" Hilda's heart was beating hard now. She had thought that Marianne didn't have those thoughts. She had never seemed interested in talking about love or sex whenever Hilda talked about it. It was a terrifying thought, Marianne liking someone. 

"Not really, no. Um... well, I've never... cared much about my appearance. And you really are the only one who acts like you like me. Boys always did it in high school as a joke so I'm not always very receptive to that sort of attention. I really have no idea if I'm desirable in that way."

"Oh, Marianne..." Hilda suddenly felt bad for flirting with Marianne so much. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I'll stop if you want me to."

Marianne shook her head. "I figure that's just a lesbian thing." She shrugged. "I don't mind it coming from you."

Hilda's eyes went wide and she coughed. "I'm not..."

Marianne looked confused again. "You're not a lesbian? You like women right? Did I read that wrong? And you're friends with Dorothea and Edelgard. I am almost certain they have sex regularly."

Hilda snorted out a laugh. "God if only you knew," she mumbled, rolling her eyes. "Um. No, wait. Yes, I like women but I'm not... I'm actually bi... I don't know. Sometimes I hate putting labels on it. It's weird."

"Understandable. Sexuality is a quite complex topic. Humans place a lot of emphasis on what it means but as far as I see it it's quite natural. Homosexuality happens more often than you'd think in the animal kingdom."

Marianne started to drone on about gay animals and Hilda took the opportunity to compose her thoughts again. Marianne had sent her on a rollercoaster of emotions in just a few minutes. Hilda was still trying to recover from the ride. She wanted to curl up and reflect but Marianne was still in her room talking. Hilda took several deep breaths and steadied herself.

"So, Marianne," Hilda cut in right as Marianne was about to talk about more graphic animal behaviors, "have you ever liked anyone?"

Marianne paused and looked thoughtful. "Um... I don't really think about that kind of stuff. And nobody's really ever shown an interest in me before."

"That's unfortunate." Hilda meant mostly for herself. Though, she'd be lying to herself if she even tried to pretend that she thought Marianne liked her beyond them being vague friends.

Marianne shrugged. "I don't mind. I've always kept busy with other things and I don't feel lonely."

"Well... that's good at least."

Marianne nodded and the room fell silent. She shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Sorry," she said quietly. "I'm... not very good at conversations..."

Hilda smiled gently. "That's alright. We don't have to talk if you don't want to. I can put on some music while we pack."

After putting on some music, the girls got to work packing the rest of Hilda's things. It took much less time than it would've taken Hilda alone not only because there was two of them but because Marianne didn't stop for breaks. Once they had stopped talking, Marianne got into a zone. She only really spoke when she asked where Hilda would like something. Otherwise, she worked fluidly and without pause.

Hilda, on the other hand, was having trouble doing anything that wasn't tracking Marianne's movement around the room. She moved quietly and thoughtfully. Hilda was reminded of a cat moving about the house, noiselessly moving from point a to b without a care. Hilda tried to not outright stare at her, but she was fairly certain Marianne was too oblivious to notice her watching. 

Finally, the room was clean and everything that Hilda needed to take home was packed. Marianne was sitting on the floor, leaned up against the bed. She looked exhausted. Hilda wanted to let her nap but kept her mouth shut.

"A driver is going to be here to pick us up soon," Hilda said brushing some hair out of Marianne's face. She was a little bit sweaty from all the moving they'd been doing.

Marianne nodded. She rested her hand over Hilda's and Hilda sucked in a sharp breath.

"Do you want me to make you coffee? You seem tired."

" 's'all right... at this point, I don't think it'll matter much. Coffee can only do so much."

Hilda plopped herself in Marianne's lap. "Maybe I can wake you up?" she said brightly as she cupped Marianne's face. "Cutie."

Marianne looked at her with half-lidded eyes. Her sleepy face was just too adorable. Hilda took a quick mental note to not push too much onto her. She didn't want to make sleepy Marianne do anything rested Marianne would regret. 

"Hilda, you flirt with me too much," Marianne murmured. Her voice was low and sleepy. It made Hilda shiver.

Hilda leaned into her and looped her arms around her neck. She whispered into Marianne's ear, "Is that a problem?" She started to rub small circles on the back of Marianne's neck. 

Marianne's eyes closed and she moaned softly. Hilda took the opportunity to start kissing Marianne's earlobe and the corner of her jaw. Marianne's hands came up and rested gingerly on Hilda's thighs. She gripped them gently and Hilda's toes curled. Hilda pushed forward a bit making Marianne's hands slip higher up her thighs. She bit her lip, her breath hitching slightly. Marianne didn't pull away and moaned again as Hilda began kissing her neck with a little more fervor. With the positive response, Hilda felt a little bold. She brought her hand to Marianne's neck, gripping her softly. Marianne let out a shaky breath.

"You like that?" Hilda purred.

Marianne grunted softly then pulled Hilda's hand away. " 'm sorry... Too tired to play along."

"Aw... no fun." Hilda nuzzled her face into Marianne's neck. She still felt a little shaky. She'd never done anything like that to Marianne before.

Marianne wrapped her arms loosely around Hilda and her head started to rest heavily on her. It didn't take long before Marianne's breathing evened out and she was asleep.

Hilda let out a shaky breath. She was cuddling with Marianne. She could feel Marianne's breath stirring the hair on her head. She wished she could tell Dorothea but her phone was across the room. No force on Earth would make her leave this position too soon. She closed her eyes and held onto Marianne tightly.


	3. Funny Joke

Hilda was sitting in the back of the car with a very jittery Marianne. The driver had put the window up between him and the girls to give the them a bit of privacy at Hilda's request. She knew nothing was going to happen, but on the off chance it did, she wanted it to be a private affair. But Marianne had hardly said anything since they had gotten in the car so Hilda's chances of getting lucky looked incredibly slim. In fact, things were rather awkward.

Marianne had never been in a car like this one before. It wasn't exactly what she would've considered a limo as it wasn't very long but it certainly wasn't a car either. Hilda said it was just the car that always took her places. It had a small bar on the left and there was a bench in the front and back of the cabin, leaving the middle floor completely empty. The seats were made of fine leather and the interior was a dark blue color. There were strip lights along the edges of the ceiling casting a faint blue light. Marianne was currently in the middle admiring the interior while Hilda was watching her over the top of her phone.

They had been stopped in traffic for ten minutes so Hilda had let Marianne get out of her seat to explore. Marianne acted like Hilda wasn't even there as she crawled around the car like an excited dog. Hilda wasn't sure exactly what Marianne was searching the car so intently for. It wasn't like it had anything worth stealing. Besides, if Marianne wanted pocket change Hilda was more than willing to give it to her. 

After searching every inch, Marianne scooted over to the bar. It was stocked with expensive-looking alcohol and a handful of artsy soft drinks, some of which looked imported. She tilted her head to the side as she studied some of the bottles.

"Can I drink something?" Marianne asked as she pulled a beer with a handmade label on it out of the fridge. She turned it over in her hands. She couldn't tell if it was expensive but it certainly was home-brewed in someone's garage. 

Hilda nodded and gestured vaguely to the bar. "You can have anything in there you'd like." Her bored expression barely wavered as Marianne nodded at her.

Marianne dug around through the shelves checking out the alcohol. She wasn't big on drinking but alcohol usually soothed her when she was full of nerves. Currently, she was nothing but a bundle of anxiety. Normally, she wouldn't resort to alcohol but it was currently the most favorable option as it would be fairly fast-acting and she'd packed all of her things in her bag and thrown it stupidly in the trunk. She turned over the bottles studying them. She wanted something that would hit hard so she wouldn't have to drink a lot to get tipsy. She found a half-full bottle of whipped cream flavored vodka. That had to be Hilda's choice. She showed it off to Hilda and Hilda shook her head vigorously. 

"Holst bought that for my birthday and I almost died. Have not touched it since. It goes down waaay too easy for vodka." She shuddered at the memory. There was a reason it had been banished to the car. "Not one of my finer moments..."

Marianne put the bottle away and continued her search. No sense in opening up something that could make Hilda sick just by smelling it. It did limit her options though. There wasn't much in the way of mixing so whatever she drank would have to either be mixed with soda or straight. Straight did not sound appealing at all and Marianne wasn't about to drink a whole bottle of beer in the car. Whiskey wasn't high on her list of desirable alcohol either but she could knock back a Jack and Coke if she had to. Maybe it would go down smoother with the fancy cola in the fridge.

She mixed her drink—accidentally going heavier on the whiskey than she had intended—and knew she wasn't going to walk away clean from this one. She could feel Hilda's eyes on her. It was hard to tell if it was a judging gaze or a surprised one. Maybe a mixture of both. Marianne took a deep breath then downed the drink in one go. She slammed the cup down and coughed, tears jumping into her eyes. 

"Careful," Hilda warned gently. "Don't hurt yourself. I failed CPR twice so I can't save your life."

Marianne wiped her mouth on the back of her sleeve. "I'm okay," she said. "There was just definitely alcohol in that." She coughed again and dabbed away the tears in her eyes. "Wow, that was strong."

Hilda laughed and shook her head. "I didn't even know you drank."

Marianne fiddled with the cup. She could still taste the alcohol in her mouth and it wasn't pleasant. "I don't." She sipped the leftover cola she'd used. It only helped a little.

"Oh, so I'm going to be carrying your drunk ass into the house?"

Marianne hadn't really thought that far in advance. She just wanted to settle her nerves a little bit. She was sure Hilda could lift her but it would definitely be an inconvenience for her. "If you have to, I apologize in advance."

Marianne climbed back into the seat beside Hilda leaving just enough space between them for it to not be awkwardly far or awkwardly close. She remembered she hadn't eaten in a while and knew that the alcohol was going to hit her like a truck when it did. Well, it was too late now. At least a second drink wouldn't be necessary because she wasn't sure she could do that again.

They sat in silence. Hilda was checking her phone now and again. Marianne picked at her fingernails as she glanced over at Hilda. She didn't have anything to do and it didn't appear that they would be moving in the traffic very soon. It would take a moment for the alcohol to do its job but she was already feeling some of her stress melt away from the thought of it. She just wished Hilda would pay attention to her to soothe the rest. Hilda had been glued to her phone the whole time and Marianne couldn't help but feel like she'd done something wrong. 

Marianne scooted closer to Hilda so they were touching. She looked straight ahead as she tapped Hilda's hand gently. "What are you... doing on your phone?" she asked trying to sound casual. It came out a little shaky.

"Oh, Dorothea is just texting me. Her and Edelgard went somewhere warm. See." She turned her phone so Marianne could see one of the pictures Dorothea had sent. She purposely leaned in closer to Marianne than she needed to.

Marianne tilted her head to the side as she studied the photos. Edelgard was in a pool on a floaty and sipping a drink. She looked stunning, Marianne thought. She could see why Dorothea liked her. Her gaze was pulled to Edelgard's chest. Her bikini had an intricate bow design holding the two cups together. It complimented her nicely. Marianne noticed that Hilda's chest was pushing against her arm. Her stomach did a small flip. Maybe the alcohol had been a poor choice after all.

Hilda showed Marianne the other few pictures she had before pulling her phone away. "Dorothea is such a bastard for taunting me. I want to be laid out on the beach or by a pool. I hate snow." Hilda slumped in her seat and leaned her head on Marianne's shoulder.

Marianne looked thoughtful. "Do you not have a pool in your home? I thought that was... standard in large homes."

Hilda shook her head. "Outdoor only, unfortunately." She crossed her arms. "Which is really stupid because we live somewhere where it snows half the year. Like why don't we have an indoor pool?"

"Yeah..." Marianne couldn't relate to Hilda's rich girl problems. She'd never had a pool at her house aside from the blow-up ones that people could buy. She had unfortunately outgrown that pretty quickly. Her only other experiences with pools were public ones but she was sure Hilda would scoff at her if she brought that up so she kept her mouth shut. Not to mention Hilda had said she failed CPR twice so Marianne wasn't sure she wanted Hilda anywhere near her in a place she could potentially need CPR.

"Should we watch a movie or something?" Hilda asked suddenly. "I don't think we're going to get to my house any time soon so we have a lot of time to kill."

"Oh, sure..."

Hilda reached under the seat and pulled out a tablet. Marianne watched her in surprise as Hilda opened up an app and started to scroll through it. "Hmm... Something sweet... Maybe a little romantic..." She landed on a movie. "Aha! Here we are." Hilda got up and pulled a screen down from the top of the car. The movie started to play on the screen and Hilda sat back down on the floor between Marianne's legs. She took her hair out of its twin tails and then fluffed it out over Marianne's lap. "Play with my hair. There's a brush in my bag if you need it."

Marianne stared down at Hilda's hair. It was incredibly long and silky. Marianne wondered how Hilda kept it so nice and clean. Her own hair was usually a mess since she barely had the time to think about it. She began to pull Hilda's hair into a french braid, happy to have something to do with her hands.

Time started to pass a little more quickly and Marianne could feel the whiskey taking over. It was becoming progressively harder to move her hands in the appropriate way to braid. It required almost all of her concentration. Her hands jerked slightly and she pulled Hilda's hair.

Hilda tilted her head back with a slight frown. "Ow? You doing okay back there, big man?" 

Marianne couldn't help but laugh. It felt like bubbles in her chest that she had to let out. Hilda probably could've said anything and it would've made her laugh. "Big man?"

"You knocked back a Jack and Coke like it was nothing. Are you not even buzzed?"

"No, I am. I'm definitely somewhere and it's not sober."

Hilda turned so she could rest her chin on Marianne's knee. "You're crazy." She ran her hand gently up her thigh.

Marianne barely reacted besides giggling some more and whispering, "That tickles." Hilda couldn't believe that even when she was drunk Marianne still barely opened up to her flirting. Marianne laid down on the bench so she was eye level with Hilda. She was still giggling to herself.

Hilda gave her a curious look. "What's so funny?"

"Do you want to hear a joke?" Marianne whispered. "It's really funny."

"Sure." Hilda couldn't wait to see where this was going.

Marianne smiled widely. "What did... what did one llama say to the other llama?"

"I don't know. What?"

Marianne could hardly contain her laughter as she murmured, "Nice to meet you." She burst out laughing.

Hilda chuckled along with her. It wasn't even a joke and yet Marianne had practically killed herself. It was just too adorable. "I see you're a giggly drunk," Hilda said as Marianne finally settled down. She gently patted Marianne on the cheek and Marianne leaned into her touch like a cat.

Marianne bubbled up with laughter again. "Nice to meet you," she mumbled and let out a less intense laugh. She wiped tears from her eyes and smiled at Hilda. "Want to hear another joke?"

Hilda nodded enthusiastically. "Oh god yes! I'm dying to hear one."

"Why do people have two ears?

"Why?"

"Surround sound." Marianne burst into another laughing fit harder than the last.

For some reason, even Hilda found that one funny. Maybe it was Marianne's delivery or that the joke was just too absurd but she was in a laughing fit too.

It took several minutes for the two of them to calm down again. Hilda was clutching her stomach. She hadn't laughed that hard at nothing in a while. She leaned her head back on the seat and stared at the ceiling. Marianne scooted her head next to Hilda's. 

"I know you don't care," Marianne said quietly, "but can I talk about something I like?"

Hilda turned her head to look at Marianne. She had a sheepish look on her face like she was afraid to have even asked. "Don't assume I don't care. You can talk to me about anything you like."

Marianne's eyes lit up and without hesitation she started to talk at length about horses. She talked about different breeds, her personal favorites, cute horses at the barn, and what events she participated in. She mostly participated in show hunter classes but occasionally did reining if she got the chance to. Hilda had no idea what any of that meant. Marianne explained in simpler terms that she mainly did stuff where the horse jumped and other times got to do things where the horse did certain patterns around an arena. Hilda nodded as if that cleared things up. Ingrid, a girl that Hilda only vaguely knew, was the master of dressage at Marianne's barn. A god among men, as Marianne put it. 

Hilda listened as intently as she could though Marianne said terms that she didn't know and talked very fast. It also didn't help that Marianne's words were a bit slurred and nonsensical. It was hard to ask questions because Marianne would barely pause to breathe. When she had said she was bad at conversations, Hilda now knew that it meant that she either talked too little or too much. But Hilda didn't mind. She liked hearing Marianne talk about something she was passionate about. She moved her hands a lot and had a cute little habit of pushing her hair behind her ear when she got a little too overexcited. It was fascinating and Hilda was at least learning something even if half of it made no sense.

The car pulled to a stop and Hilda looked out the window. Marianne had finally tuckered herself out and Hilda could only assume that the alcohol was beginning to lose effect and she was returning to a more demure state.

"Oh, we made it," Hilda said. "Welcome to my house."


	4. Jinkies!

Hilda was lying in bed ready to pass out. She had been helping her mother all day with preparations for the party. It sucked. She wasn't even mad at the fact that she was forced to help—though that did spike her irritation a little bit—but livid at the fact that her father and brother were currently on a "business errand" which Hilda knew full-well meant golfing with ugly, rich men. They were set to arrive home on Christmas Eve which meant that they would not be helping with preparations. Hilda was going to strangle Holst when he got home for the mere fact that she could. Her mother would probably take care of her father for her, though from the sound of it he'd already gotten an earful when he'd told her he was leaving on this trip.

Marianne had been following her around all day like a lost puppy. It had been two days and she had yet to settle into the house. Hilda wasn't sure how the girl had even managed to live in a college dorm by herself. She would've let Marianne help with preparations, but she had proven to be too much of a clutz for Hilda's comfort. And while that was an endearing character trait, Hilda had to catch several falling glasses on multiple occasions. Thus, Marianne had been banned from helping on the basis that most things in Hilda's house were breakable. Hilda didn't mind too much, though. She did feel a bit bad that Marianne had been roped into helping. She was still technically a guest and Hilda thought it strange to force her to work. Of course, that meant Marianne didn't have anything to do so she had been stuck to Hilda's hip all day. That in and of itself was exhausting.

Marianne was timid and wouldn't wander very far from Hilda at any given moment. Hilda was beginning to appreciate how comfortable Marianne actually was at the dorms. She wouldn't do anything by herself and she wasn't very good at telling Hilda what she needed either. It sort of became a guessing game. If she heard Marianne's stomach growl or she looked a little sick, Hilda would ask, "Are you hungry?" And Marianne would say, "Only a little... I can wait until you're hungry." If Marianne looked uncomfortable and couldn't sit still, Hilda would ask, "Do you need to use the bathroom?" And Marianne would nod. Their interactions had mostly consisted of that for two days.

It was rather odd how different she was away from somewhere she felt comfortable. She didn't talk as much and didn't make as many blunt remarks. She was still as goofy and lanky as ever but only in short bursts. Hilda could handle it, though. Marianne would settle in eventually and she seemed to be growing more adventurous and curious by the day. 

Her biggest solace was Hilda's bedroom. It was the one place in the house she truly relaxed. Hilda had tried to set Marianne up in her own room on the first night but Marianne had somehow ended up back in Hilda's. She figured it would just be easier to let Marianne have her way and Hilda didn't mind either, though she would've liked a little privacy. It was for the best as well because Marianne probably would've been resituated anyway as some of Hilda's extended family would be staying the night after the party and perhaps several nights after.

Marianne was lying on the blow-up mattress next to Hilda's bed playing a game on her phone. She had just showered and was starting to decompress after the long day. Hilda said they could just explore the house tomorrow and relax so she was looking forward to that. Watching Hilda climb ladders to change lightbulbs and get increasingly frustrated at dusting had made Marianne antsy. She didn't like seeing Hilda be so mad. She was humming softly to herself as she kicked her legs in the air.

Marianne jumped up and slammed her elbows on Hilda's bed. "Look!" Marianne said waving her phone at Hilda. "Look, look."

Hilda startled, not enough to make her jump but enough to send a shot of adrenaline through her. Her heart was pounding as she rolled onto her side to look at Marianne. "What, Marianne?" Hilda groaned as she took the phone. All that was on the screen was a stock image of a blue horse with wings. "What am I looking at, babe?"

"That's a super rare horse," Marianne said excitedly. "They're so hard to come by. Ah, it's so exciting." She took her phone back and stared at it, a giddy smile on her face.

"Good job." Hilda absently patted Marianne's head. Her eyes closed again and her hand went limp.

Marianne took Hilda's hand and tucked it back up by her face. "Sorry for waking you," she said sheepishly. "I got excited..."

"That's okay," Hilda murmured. She leaned off the bed and wrapped her arms around Marianne. "You just startled me a bit is all. Next time just be a little quieter in your approach." Her grip tightened and she leaned heavily against Marianne.

Marianne grunted and tried to shove Hilda back onto her bed but Hilda had her in a vice grip. She sighed and rolled onto the bed, ending up lying on top of Hilda. Hilda's eyes were still closed but Marianne could tell her breathing was uneven. She tried to shift but Hilda would not give her up.

"Hilda, if I'm crushing you, you have to let me go so I can move," Marianne muttered.

Hilda grunted and pulled Marianne even tighter to herself. "Oh, it's so cold, Marianne," Hilda said dramatically. "I'm practically freezing up here. Feel how cold my hand is." She pressed her hand against Marianne's face—Marianne thought they were lukewarm at worst. "It's rather unfortunate but we'll have to cuddle for warmth."

"Is that so?" Marianne said with an exaggerated questioning lilt. She rolled her eyes. "I suppose it cannot be helped. I would hate for you to freeze to death in your multimillion-dollar home that has a fireplace—currently running, I should add—in your bedroom."

Hilda gave her a what-are-you-gonna-do shrug and an awkward smile. Marianne shrugged in return and nestled her face into the crook of Hilda's neck. She did her best to cover as much of Hilda's surface area as she could, which wasn't a very hard feat considering how small Hilda was. Hilda's chest felt fluttery as Marianne's hand came up to rest against her face. They laid still for a long moment. Marianne's weight was more comforting and warm than Hilda had anticipated. She had never realized just how hot Marianne's body was. She was practically her own furnace. 

"You know," Marianne said, "skin-to-skin contact actually transfers heat better." Her voice sounded sleepy and, as much as Hilda hated to admit it, rather sexy.

Hilda swallowed hard. She knew Marianne didn't mean anything by it but her brain had been turned to mush. Hilda bit her lip. What would Marianne do if she asked? "Could we try that?" Hilda asked slowly. "For science, of course."

Marianne sat up and reached down without hesitation. She moved so quickly Hilda didn't have time to react. She lifted Hilda's shirt, exposing her stomach. She then lifted her own and pressed their stomachs together. Marianne resettled herself, nuzzling into Hilda's neck once again.

Hilda could barely keep her breathing under control. Her ribs hurt from trying to hold her breath to make it seem normal. Marianne had lifted her shirt to just below her chest. Only a little higher and Marianne would've uncovered her breasts. She wasn't sure what she would've done had that happened. She probably would've been mortified. Marianne's breath was hot on her neck and she could feel herself getting turned on just by them lying there. 

"Marianne," Hilda whispered. She wasn't sure what to say next. She wanted Marianne to rip all of her clothes off and have sex with her, but that seemed like an excessive request. And she was pretty sure that Marianne wouldn't do that even under different circumstances.

"Yeah?"

Hilda shifted Marianne a bit so she could kiss her neck. It made her heart burst, feeling Marianne's skin against her lips. She wanted to do so much more but a small kiss would have to suffice. She knew it wouldn't, but she would make do.

Marianne made a soft noise. "You always kiss my neck and ears," she whispered. "You've never kissed my face before. Why is that?"

Hilda's heart thumped in her chest. Marianne's voice was soft in her ear. "Um... I don't want to overstep any boundaries." Hilda's throat felt tight. She wished she could say she wanted to kiss her so badly that it hurt. "It seems... more intimate if I kiss your face. I don't want to steal a kiss from you."

Marianne giggled. "That seems a little silly. My neck and ears are far more sensitive than my face is. I appreciate the thought, though. It's very chivalrous of you."

Hilda's face got hot. She hadn't even considered that Marianne's neck and ears were sensitive. "W-Well, do you, like, want me to kiss you or something?" Hilda said trying to sound like she was joking. "It sounds like you'd be into the idea, haha."

"I'm flexible," Marianne responded. "I wouldn't stop you if you tried." She shifted so she was looking down at Hilda.

Hilda's heart skipped a beat. Her breathing had become hard but she didn't even care anymore. Marianne was so beautiful. She placed a hand behind Marianne's head and leaned forward. There was only a short distance between them. She just had to lean in a bit more and close the gap... Why was she hesitating? 

There was a knock on Hilda's door and the girls sprung apart. Marianne tumbled back onto the mattress on the floor and Hilda sat up. She pulled her shirt back down and ran her hand through her hair nervously. Marianne had buried her face in her pillow. Both of them were blushing to their ears.

"Hilda, honey, there's cheesecake downstairs if you two would like dessert," Hilda's mother called from outside the door.

"Th-Thanks for letting us know," Hilda responded. "We'll be down in a minute."

The room was awkwardly silent. Hilda could've heard a pin drop. Her heart was still pounding in her chest and she felt dizzy. She'd almost kissed Marianne. She had almost kissed Marianne. On the mouth. With her mouth. She let out a long breath.

"D-Do you want cheesecake?" Hilda mumbled.

"Yeah..." Marianne said awkwardly. "Cheesecake sounds nice..."


	5. I'll be Holst for Christmas

> **DOROTHEA:** Okay so to recap, you were mere inches away from your first kiss with Marianne and you chickened out and your mom ruined the moment.
> 
> **HILDA:** Yep... about sums it up.
> 
> **CLAUDE:** No balls 
> 
> **HILDA:** Duck off
> 
> **CLAUDE:** Quack quack quack
> 
> **HILDA:** Claude I'm going to actually feed you to a bear m'kay sweaty :) ???
> 
> **CLAUDE:** Bears are sexy as hell so no problems here! I've seen Raphael crush a watermelon between his thighs and 
> 
> **HILDA:** I emant the animal you fucking stupid whroe. 
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Claude I'm going to neuter you if you don't shut up and offer good advice. 
> 
> **CLAUDE:** My apologies 
> 
> **HILDA:** HOW COME YOU LISTEN TO HER?
> 
> **CLAUDE:** Because she actually scares me. If she says she's going to chop my nuts off that is not an empty threat. I'm not saying Dorothea /hates/ men but she's got a vendetta 
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Happens when you're an idol. Regardless. Advice and comfort now Claude.
> 
> **CLAUDE:** You two and Edelgard move to France, change your names, have a ménage à trois, and live happily ever after.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Mmmmm I don't know if I could get Edie on board. She's rather protective of her property i.e. my lesbian lunch box
> 
> **HILDA:** brb gonna kms
> 
> **CLAUDE:**
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Hi, this is Edelgard. Please do not think those words have ever left my mouth on any occasion. My significant other just has... a terrible sense of humor and I sincerely apologize for her behavior. 
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** On another note, Hilda, I do believe your problem is because you're unsure if Marianne likes you or not. You're unable to commit to a potentially unstable relationship especially if it could end up ruining your current friendship with Marianne.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** I think that you should be less worried about it. From my understanding of the situation, Marianne seems rather aloof about the whole thing. If you put a little pressure on her, she will either tell you she's not interested or your relationship will blossom. I don't think either of those outcomes would ruin your current status. Marianne does not seem to be one to dump a friend if you were to be more forthright. She's much too kind.
> 
> **HILDA:** Wow the first good bit of advice I've ever received. Friendship canceled with Dorothea. Edie is my new best friend.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Don't call me that.
> 
> **HILDA:** Nevermind.
> 
> **CLAUDE:** Why isn't Edelgard just in this chat?
> 
> **HILDA:** She doesn't have a phone.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** I do have a phone. 
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Her phone is so old it can barely make a phone call and she refuses to get a new one. Basically if she has to text anyone she has to use my phone.
> 
> **CLAUDE:** Someone please get that bitch a new phone.

Hilda tossed her phone aside as she stared up at the ceiling of her room. Edelgard was probably right. If she just told Marianne how she felt then Marianne would either tell her she was or wasn't interested. It wasn't so much that she was afraid of Marianne not being her friend anymore as it was she was afraid of finding out Marianne didn't like her. She didn't want to know that. If Marianne rejected her, she wasn't sure she could continue to be friends with her. It would be too painful. She knew she'd lie awake at night and wonder why she wasn't good enough for Marianne. It was terrifying.

Marianne was still asleep on the floor. Hilda rolled to the edge of the bed to watch her for a moment. She was lying with her shirt pulled up and the blanket half on her with almost every single one of her limbs sticking out. Her sheets had been completely pulled off and were tangled up around her. Hilda smiled softly. Marianne was absolutely adorable.

The girls were traversing the house as Hilda had promised and Marianne was living. She wasn't very bougie herself but she loved looking at fantastic houses she knew she would never live in. Normally, she would just have to look at million-dollar homes that were for sale online but now she was getting to explore one first hand. She'd never been in a house so large before. She liked how much stuff was in Hilda's house too. Plants, paintings, things that looked like artifacts, cat trees, cat toys, books, more cat toys, cat beds, cat bowls, and more paintings of cats. Marianne was completely surprised at how many cats lived in Hilda's house. There were fifteen in total. Marianne had seen one or two randomly as they had gone about putting decorations up over the last few days, but she had thought there were three or four cats at most. Hilda explained that for most people it was hard to tell them apart as three of them were all white and came from the same litter of kittens and four of them were all black. The others consisted of four calicos of various patterns and calico-ness, two orange tabbies, and two brown tabbies with white paws. Marianne had met seven of them so far.

The girls had been through the entire upstairs. They had gone through every bedroom, bathroom, and study. The only other thing of interest upstairs was also the home theater. Marianne had been drawn to the study that was practically its own library. There were books on almost anything you could want to research. It was fantastic. Hilda explained that that was her mother's study and the books were off-limits.

"There's a downstairs too," Hilda said as they entered her great room. The room was decorated lavishly for the party with a large Christmas tree nestled next to the bay of windows. The fireplace had a large fire going and several cats sat on the mantle. They had made their way through most of the first floor now seeing the dining room, kitchen, living room, other living room, other kitchen, and finally ended up in the great room. "But there isn't much down there besides a full bar, standard casino-style games, and a wine cellar. We can go check it out if you want, but I don't think you care."

Marianne looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I've read The Cask of Amontillado."

"The... what?" Hilda looked genuinely confused.

Marianne laughed and shook her head. "Nevermind. However, should you end up buried alive in a wine cellar, just know you should've paid more attention in high school English."

Hilda brushed off that statement. Sometimes Marianne just said horrifying things. Though, she wasn't exactly sure what high school English had to do with anything. She went and plucked a cat off of the mantle to bring to Marianne.

"Which one is this?" Marianne asked as she gently took the fat, ginger tabby into her arms. It purred as she scratched its ears.

"Bartholomew."

"Adorable."

Marianne wandered over to the wall of windows and stared outside. Two men were getting out of a car. One of them was a pudgy man and the other was a boy, shorter and slimmer. She watched them as they grabbed their suitcases out from the trunk of the car. "Hey, Hilda, who's that?" she asked curiously.

Hilda came over to the window with one of the other cats in her arms. She looked outside then rolled her eyes. "My dad and my idiot brother."

Marianne tilted her head to the side. "Interesting..."

Hilda had not at all considered the ramifications of Marianne meeting Holst for the first time. Holst was an implosion of dumb bitch energy contained within expensive pairs of slacks, rugby shirts, and lots of hair gel. He had rather crude humor, was an absolute dumbass, and laughed so loud at his own jokes that Hilda had thrown glasses at his head before. He was certainly a charmer when he wanted to be and not half bad to look at, but his big head made him come off as cocky and narcissistic. 

Hilda had a weird relationship with Holst. He adored his baby sister almost to the point of being too overprotective. Hilda did appreciate that on some level but, at the same time, he'd also given a black eye to her boyfriend back in high school. She loved Holst, she really did, but she was also ready at any given moment to knock his teeth out of his stupid skull. 

And her biggest issue with him happened to be that they had the exact same taste in women. If he even so much as looked in Marianne's direction, she wasn't sure she could control herself.

Hilda tapped Marianne on the shoulder. "Let's go back to my room. They can come to us if they want to."

Marianne raised no objections and followed Hilda back up to her bedroom.

Marianne fell onto her mattress and snuggled up underneath the blanket. Hilda stood over her and Marianne gave her a playful gaze. They had not talked about what had happened the night before. Marianne was acting like nothing had happened and to her maybe nothing had. Hilda still wasn't sure if she had any stake in whether this relationship took off or not. It was infuriating.

Suddenly, Holst burst into Hilda's room without knocking. He had three cats gathered in his arms. His outfit was wrinkled and his pinky-blond hair was sticking up at all angles. He pointed accusingly at Hilda. "Gay!"

Hilda was, rightfully, taken aback. She grabbed a pillow from the bed and whipped it at Holst's head. He managed to dodge but dropped the cats back into the hallway. He looked furious but Hilda had no idea what she'd done.

"Holst, get out of my room, you jackass!" Hilda grabbed another pillow and chucked it at him. This one hit him in the face. "You can't just barge into a girl's room. What if we were changing or something?!"

Holst pointed at Marianne and looked at Hilda with a deep frown. "Gay!"

"What are you talking about?"

Marianne had mentally checked out from the shock of Holst coming in. She was finally returning to her senses and she looked between the siblings. They both looked ready to kill each other. Marianne knew she wouldn't be able to stop them if they started fighting. She also wasn't sure which one would win if things came down to a fight. They looked evenly matched.

"Mom and Dad let you bring a girl to Christmas," Holst hissed. "What the fuck?" He picked up the pillow had thrown at him and chucked it back at her.

Hilda ducked out of the way. "And what about it, himbo?"

"Gay," Holst grumbled. "You can't gay up Christmas. I wanted to gay up Christmas last year and they said no!"

"I don't know, Holst. Be a girl!" Hilda shouted exasperatedly. She threw her hands up in the air.

Holst mimicked her motions then rested his hands on his hips. "Mom told me you were bringing a girl and I can't believe it. Ugh, unfair. Uncle John is going to burst a lung when he finds out. Heidi is going to flip her shit. I wanted that to be me!"

"To be fair, we aren't a couple," Hilda said, crossing her arms. "You and your ex were at the time. Mom and Dad would try to pass it off as us being friends anyway. You do realize that yeah?"

Holst seemed to have calmed down now. He sighed heavily and looked defeated. "If you aren't a couple, why stir the pot then?" He paused. "Nevermind. When haven't you wanted to stir the pot?"

Hilda smiled and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Guilty. Anyway, if you're done being crazy, this is Marianne."

Holst looked at Marianne for the first time. His eyes lit up and he took a step towards her. "Hi, Marianne. Aren't you just as beautiful as a woodland fairy."

Marianne blushed and hid behind Hilda's leg. At least she wasn't going to fall for Holst's flirting too easily. Then again Hilda has learned all her tricks from Holst so it wasn't going to be easy to keep him off. But Hilda has been working on Marianne for months so she certainly had a headstart.

"This is my big brother, Holst," Hilda continued. "As you can see, he's not much of a big brother."

Marianne studied Holst a little more. He couldn't have been that much taller than her if he was at all. "Um... pleased to meet you," Marianne mumbled.

"Oh, the pleasure is most certainly mine." Holst winked.

Hilda balled her hands into fists but restrained herself from decking him. "Go be gross somewhere else."

Holst nodded. "I'm excited to see where tomorrow goes," he said. "There better be drama or I'll never forgive you." He left the room just as quickly as he entered, slamming the door behind himself.

"Sorry about that," Hilda said, looking down at Marianne. She was shaking slightly. Hilda gently pet the top of her head. "He's a lot."

Marianne smiled up at her. "He kind of reminds me of you."

"Ew not even!" Hilda plopped down beside Marianne on the mattress. She laid back. Holst had exhausted her.

Marianne leaned over her with a curious look. "So the truth comes out. You brought me along to rile up your family."

Hilda blinked in surprise. She didn't want to admit that she'd also brought her along to try and kiss her and or have sex with her if things made it to that point. She chuckled awkwardly. "Um... Well, that is _a_ reason. But that's not the whole reason. I also just enjoy your company."

Marianne didn't look fully convinced. She leaned closer to Hilda. "Do you want me to pretend to be your girlfriend?"

Hilda swallowed hard. "Well, that would be ideal, but I wouldn't make you to that."

"It's not so hard to do," Marianne said. She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, leaned in close, and kissed Hilda's throat. "You do it all the time, don't you?" she said softly, her lips still brushing Hilda's skin. "I'll just do what you do." She settled herself down on top of Hilda and kissed up her neck to her ear.

Hilda let out a long, shaky breath. That stung to hear. Marianne was going to kill her. "W-Whatever you're comfortable with."

"I don't mind being used, you know," Marianne murmured. "But you owe me big time."

Hilda let out a short laugh. "Yeah, yeah. Collect after the party, though."

Marianne nuzzled Hilda's neck, while her other hand came up to caress her cheek. "I'll hold you to that."


	6. Christmas Part 1

It was two in the morning and Hilda couldn't sleep. The lights had been dimmed in her room as low as they could go and she was watching A Christmas Story on repeat with subtitles. She was tired but she had so many emotions running through her she couldn't seem to find sleep. She felt like she was a kid again, waiting in excitement for Santa to come. There was one Christmas where Holst had snuck down to her room and they tried to peek downstairs in the middle of the night only to be caught by their father. It was a fond memory. Now, that excitement was a little bit differently placed.

Marianne and fallen asleep in her bed while they had been chatting quietly and watching a movie. She had offered herself up to cuddle with Hilda this time and had moved into the bed while Hilda had set everything up. They didn't watch much of the first half of the movie as Hilda was too busy flirting with Marianne to let her watch. It wasn't every day that Marianne willing laid herself across Hilda's lap and let her play with her hair and massage her shoulders. The movie had ended some time ago and she had fallen asleep during the late middle. She was currently nestled in Hilda's side, her arm lazily thrown over Hilda's stomach.

Hilda was petting her gently, running her hands through her hair and down her back. It was hard to keep her hands off Marianne. She was so soft and warm. It made Hilda's heart melt to be this close to her. She twirled a lock of Marianne's hair around her finger.

Marianne shifted suddenly. She stretched a bit, scooted up and laid on her stomach, half on top of Hilda. Her head was resting beside Hilda's now and her arm looped around her neck. Hilda felt like a glorified body pillow. Marianne let out a big yawn, mumbled something incomprehensible, and then kissed the side of Hilda's face. 

Hilda's heart fluttered and she gripped Marianne tightly. She could've cried with how much she loved her. Everything just felt so much. She finally started to relax with Marianne's comforting weight on top of her and soon enough she was asleep as well.

At 7:30, Hilda's alarm went off. Despite having only slept a few hours, she felt genuinely well-rested. She stretched and yawned. Marianne had shifted to the other side of the bed and was tangled up in the blanket. The position looked uncomfortable but she still seemed to be sleeping soundly.

Hilda rolled over to her and wrapped her arms around her so they were spooning. She kissed behind her ear and whispered. "Wake up, sleepyhead. It's Christmas."

Marianne grunted and tried to wiggle out of Hilda's grasp. Hilda squeezed her tighter and gave her another kiss. Marianne grunted again but had given up trying to struggle.

"What time is it?" Marianne groaned. 

"Seven-thirty." 

"Too early. The world doesn't exist until, at the earliest, eight."

Hilda laughed and gently nuzzled her face in the back of Marianne's neck. "Well, today it exists at seven-thirty. We have way too much to do. And don't you want to open gifts?"

Marianne pulled a pillow over her head. Clearly, that was a no. Hilda started to tickle her and Marianne squirmed violently to try and get away from her. They wrestled for a moment until Hilda had the blanket fully thrown off the bed and Marianne was pinned beneath her. They were both breathing heavily.

A lightbulb clicked on in Marianne's head. "I know what'll keep you." She sat up, forcing Hilda to sit back, and gently cupped the side of Hilda's face. Her thumb brushed the corner of Hilda's lips and the look in her eyes was nothing but pure adoration. "Can we please stay in bed?" she asked softly as she leaned in even closer, practically taunting Hilda with the idea of kissing her.

Hilda's heart stopped and she froze. She wasn't sure what to do. This was her second chance to kiss Marianne if she wanted to. She just had to lean forward. It would be that easy. Marianne had done all the setup. Hilda stared into Marianne's half-lidded eyes. Why did Marianne look like she was waiting for it? Did she want Hilda to kiss her or not? All she had said was that she wouldn't stop her if she tried. What did that mean? 

Before she could make any decisions, Marianne shifted and her lips touched Hilda's. It wasn't exactly a kiss but it wasn't not a kiss either. When Hilda didn't move, Marianne's grip on her face tightened and she pushed into a full kiss. Hilda's eyes shot open and she jerked away involuntarily. It felt like she'd been shocked. Marianne looked surprised. She clearly hadn't been expecting Hilda to pull away from her so violently, if at all.

"I'm sorry," Marianne said quickly. "You were being so cuddly and I-I thought it would be fun. And I figured we should break the ice if we're going to pretend to be dating for the day. Was that too far? I didn't ask."

"No, no! It's-It's fine. Um... yeah. No, don't worry about it." Hilda shook her head and laughed awkwardly. Her stomach was doing flips and her face was burning. "You just surprised me is all." She gave Marianne a pat on the head. "Now, stop fooling around. We have to go or my parents will start screaming."

Marianne sighed and flopped back onto the bed. "I'm not getting out of sweatpants."

"Fine, but you have to get dressed after gifts. I have your outfit all picked out. Now move it." Hilda braced her hands against the bed and used her feet to shove Marianne off.

Marianne landed with a plop on the mattress below. "I could've broken my neck you know. How careless of you."

"Oh my God, get your butt moving." Hilda put a hand to her mouth as she watched Marianne get up from the floor. Her lips were still tingling.

> **HILDA:** She kissed me.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** What?
> 
> **HILDA:** She. Just kissed me. She did it. Like it was nothing.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Um. Are you okay? You don't sound like. Thrilled I guess?
> 
> **HILDA:** I... rlly don't know. I might be having a breakdown.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** I'm sorry. Is she being weird or?
> 
> **HILDA:** No... that's just her thing tho. She's always so nonchalant I can never tell what she's thinking. I don't even know how she feels about me. She said she's okay pretending to fake date but what about real date? I just don't know.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Aw honey...
> 
> **HILDA:** I'll tell her how I feel after the party I think. This was a horrible idea if I wasn't going to tell her sooner. We've been way too close
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Sending you the best of luck sweetie.

The girls made their way down to the great room. Hilda's parents were chatting quietly as they lounged about waiting for their children. Hilda's mother was the first to greet them with a bright good morning. Hilda went over to her and gave her a hug and kiss then went over to her father to do the same.

"No Holst?" Hilda asked as she sat on the couch and pulled Marianne down next to her.

"He was still getting ready," her mother grumbled. "I will drag him naked to open presents in about five minutes if he doesn't show up."

Marianne looked slightly horrified at the thought but Hilda had seen it happen on more than one occasion. 

Hilda leaned on the arm and Marianne cuddled up close to her. Hilda knew Marianne was only clinging to her because she was nervous now that more people were in the house. Hilda wondered how she was going to fare once the party started. Then again, if she was clinging to her arm all evening, that wouldn't be the worst thing.

Holst finally came downstairs right as their mother was about to lose her mind. He was dressed in a nice shirt and pants but they were terribly wrinkled. His hair was gelled back and he smelled overwhelmingly like cologne.

"You stink," Hilda said as he walked past and sat on the other side of Marianne. Marianne squeezed in tighter to her to try and be as far away from Holst as possible.

Holst rolled his eyes. "I know the scent of a magnificent man is much too complex for your small, lesbian brain to comprehend, but I can assure you I smell quite fine."

"First of all, you smell like ass. Second of all, I'm not even a lesbian."

"Denial doesn't suit you well, sweetheart."

"Oh my God, fuck off."

"Hilda, language," their mother snapped. She looked like she was already over their bullshit and the morning had just begun. Perhaps she even regretted having two children at all. "Holst, don't call your sister a lesbian. Hilda, don't tell your brother he stinks."

"But she is!" Holst shouted at the same time Hilda shouted, "But he does!" They turned to each other and wore matching glares.

Their mother rubbed her temple and sipped her coffee. "Can you please be nice for five minutes?"

Their father, who had been sitting so quietly he might as well not have been there, said, "Listen to your mother, you two. I would prefer not to reprimand you in front of a guest."

The two settled down and Marianne sat awkwardly in the middle of it. The tension was palpable. Marianne gently grabbed Hilda's hand and laced their fingers together. Hilda let out a long sigh and calmed down.

Gifts were passed out and the children took turns opening them. Each of them received three gifts. Hilda got makeup, clothes, and a new water bottle. Holst got a new video game, some new ties, and new underwear which he quickly hid and Hilda laughed at. Marianne received expensive chocolate, an oversized sweater with a horse in a Santa hat on it, and a hundred dollars. 

"We weren't sure what to get you for the last gift," Hilda's mom said apologetically. "Hilda was not being helpful in what you wanted. We figured you could make do with that."

Marianne felt completely overwhelmed. When Hilda said her parents would be giving her gifts, she had thought it would be something small and very impersonal. This was more than she'd been expecting. Her parents had only sent her a text that morning wishing her a merry Christmas. "Th-thank you so much."

Hilda's mother smiled at her. "Oh, don't mention it." She sat back in her chair. "Alright, you are free from opening presents. Kill each other if you must. I don't care." She waved her hand and Holst jumped up from his seat. He started to make his way to the kitchen and she called after him, "Holst! Take a shower. You stink. And whatever shirt you put on iron it!"

He groaned loudly and marched upstairs.

She turned back to her daughter. "Hilda, if you two could make cookies, that would be a huge help," she said as she watched the two girls cuddle lightly on the couch. 

Hilda nodded. "Yeah, no problem. We'll just go wash up and get dressed first."

Her mother nodded once then gave her a more pleading look. "Please be nice to your brother today, okay? I know how he is, but just try, please." 

Hilda nodded again. "I'll do my best, Mommy." She got up off the couch and gave her mother another hug and kiss. "Come on, Marianne."

Marianne got up and followed Hilda back up to her room.

> **HILDA:** Still reeling from Marianne kissing me like WHO IS SHE??? Ugh but if it doesn't work out at least Holst can have his shot.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Oh I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Remember that time I let him hit on me and he kissed me????? He tasted like tuna.
> 
> **CLAUDE:** @Hilda Marianne kissed you?!? Like fr???
> 
> **HILDA:** Oh yeah. I only texted that to Dorothea. But yeah. This morning she just did it. Idk my brain still hurts but things aren't weird I guess. Idk my dudes.
> 
> **CLAUDE:** Wow good for her. Also is your brother single again because like. Not to be gross and gay but he's hot af and I would let him top me.
> 
> **HILDA:** Ew. 
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** He told me he's 7 inches but that's just what he told me. I don't have proof. He's also shorter than you Claude. He's only 5'5" and he barely clears that.
> 
> **HILDA:** STOP ahkshskfjskfjskfrj
> 
> **CLAUDE:** Hmmmm interesting you think he'd send a dick pic?
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** There isn't a doubt in my mind.
> 
> **HILDA:** STOP. PLEASE. IM BEGGING YOU.
> 
> **EDELGARD:** Hi, this is Edelgard. Who are we talking about?
> 
> **HILDA:** Edelgard??
> 
> **CLAUDE:**
> 
> **HILDA:** How did you have that image on hand??
> 
> **CLAUDE:** I'm prepared for anything. A true memer never sleeps.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Her parents got her a new phone for Christmas. I added her to the group.
> 
> **EDELGARD:** I hope everyone is having a fine Christmas this morning. Oh, Hilda, I see that you had your first kiss!! Congratulations. 
> 
> **HILDA:** Well it wasn't my first kiss and it also wasn't awesome... I mean not complaining but yeah it could've been better.
> 
> **EDELGARD:** Well I support you in all your endeavors with Marianne! Good luck.
> 
> **HILDA:** Bluh you're too sweet Edelgard... are you sure we can't date???
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** SHUT.
> 
> **EDELGARD:** Well, if things don't work out with Dorothea, I suppose I wouldn't be against the idea of going on a date with you.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** jsajfnlarjkwjtkstflajf 
> 
> **HILDA:**

The girls were in the kitchen now after getting dressed. Hilda was admiring her work on Marianne. She'd pulled Marianne's hair up and braided it nicely, dressed her in a cute Christmas dress, and given her just enough makeup to bring out her eyes but not make her feel uncomfortable. The outfit was perfect for Marianne if Hilda did say so herself. The perfect combination of elegance and comfort. It brought out all of Marianne's highlights while covering some of the awkward sides.

Hilda had given them both aprons and then laid out the five separate recipes on the island. Marianne looked them over and grimaced. It looked like an incredible amount of work and she wasn't sure she would be of any help in it.

"Why are we making five different types of cookie?" Marianne asked.

Hilda shrugged. "Family tradition, I guess. I don't know. We make them every year. But we better get baking!" Hilda began flitting around the kitchen gathering up the ingredients and appropriate tools. 

Marianne wasn't thrilled at the idea of making all those cookies. She watched Hilda with a wary expression, wondering how she could wiggle her way out of it. "I'm not good at cooking," she said as Hilda set an armload of things on the counter.

"Well, I'm not either but baking is easy. Follow the recipe and boom!" Hilda clapped her hands together. "It's all done. Cookies are a piece of cake."

"You'd think cake would be a piece of cake," Marianne grumbled and Hilda laughed at her. She sighed heavily still not satisfied with that answer. "Can I just watch? What if I ruin it? You wouldn't even let me help you put up decorations."

Hilda put a hand on her shoulder. "Marianne, it'll be fine. I need your help with this." She shook her gently. "Now, get out of whatever this is"—she gestured vaguely to Marianne's face—"and help me bake some cookies, capiche?"

Marianne looked away. "Fine, but I'm going to keep complaining."

Hilda smiled. She lifted Marianne's chin and took a deep breath. She could do it too. She just had to be brave for once in her life. After another beat, she stood on her toes and pecked Marianne softly on the lips.

Marianne blinked in surprise. "What was that?"

Hilda winked playfully. "We are fake dating, right?" she joked. Inside, her heart was pounding and she was trying to not hyperventilate. How could Marianne do this so easily? 

Marianne seemed a bit more at ease after that and the girls got to work. Hilda turned on music and they began to blow through the cookie recipes. This was the first time in years that Hilda had enjoyed making cookies. Normally, she had to do them all by herself and Holst would ruin something or other. Marianne seemed like she was having fun as well and whenever she smiled or laughed Hilda felt her chest tighten. She wanted to kiss her again as they danced around the kitchen to terrible music. It felt so perfect. 

Hilda patted her hands on her apron to wipe off some flour then scooped a bit of dough onto her finger. She offered it to Marianne. "Here, try this."

Marianne eyed it for a moment and then ate it right off Hilda's finger. 

Hilda shivered. Marianne's mouth was so slimy. She looked at Marianne, who still had her finger still in her mouth, with a raised eyebrow. "Excuse me," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I need that."

Holst wandered into the kitchen. "Looking good, ladies," he said eying the scene and then grabbing a cookie. They jumped apart and Holst chuckled lightly. "I knew you were lying to me. So are you like friends with benefits or, like, you just didn't want me to blab to Mom that you're actually a thing?"

"Get out, Holst," Hilda grumbled at him.

"Come on, Hildy. I'm not causing any harm. Not my fault it's a pizza rolls commercial in here. Anyway, I won't leave until you answer my question."

"Friends with benefits," Marianne piped up. Hilda was completely caught off guard that she'd spoken at all. "The benefits are mostly that we're friends, though."

Holst laughed. "Okay, okay. Fair enough. I assume you're going to pretend to be together this evening then."

Marianne nodded slightly. 

Holst smiled mischievously. "Oh, this is going to be delicious!" He bounced giddily out of the kitchen.

Hilda grabbed Marianne by the back of the neck and yanked her down so they were eye level. "What. The. Fuck?" she whispered angrily. "You just. You... I don't even know."

Marianne tilted her head to the side slightly. "Did I do something wrong?"

"I guess not, but why would you tell him we were friends with benefits?"

Marianne shrugged. "I mean, we haven't had sex, no. But at this point, we cuddle and have kissed several times. Even before this event, you were giving me kisses and cuddling with me regularly. If not friends with benefits, what are we?"

Hilda's face flushed with anger and embarrassment. She let Marianne go and turned away a bit. Marianne was right. They were friends with benefits in some manner of speaking. She sighed. "Fine, fine. Just... don't say weird stuff around Holst. He doesn't know when to stop."

Marianne nodded. She jabbed Hilda lightly in the ribs. "Remember, you owe me big after the party, okay?" she said with a joking lilt trying to lighten the mood again.

Hilda rolled her eyes and swatted Marianne away. "I know. I know. Quit making a big deal out of it. I'll do whatever it is you want."

Marianne smiled brightly and went back to mixing dough. Hilda could only imagine what that girl was going to ask for. Maybe a horse or something. Horses were expensive so Hilda could get her one, she supposed. Whatever it was, Marianne seemed to already have something in mind. They just had to make it through the party.


	7. Christmas Part 2

The party was in full swing and Hilda had somehow lost Marianne. She had gotten caught up talking to some guests and Marianne had said that she was going to go to the kitchen for a drink. She let her go alone figuring that if Marianne felt confident enough to go by herself she could. That had been at least ten minutes ago and Hilda had gone room to room with no sign of Marianne anywhere. 

Things had been going well up until that point. Hilda had introduced Marianne to most of her family by now and nothing outrageous had happened. The dinner portion of the evening had gone off without a hitch. Her Uncle John and cousin Heidi gave her dirty looks but that wasn't something Hilda couldn't handle—Hilda barely liked Heidi on a good day so it was a nice excuse to avoid her like the plague. Neither of them had said anything to her face and they seemed to be doing their own thing. Hilda was sure her mother was going to hear about it once Uncle John got hammered, but that had yet to happen. 

Marianne had been doing really well at the party as well. Surprisingly good, Hilda thought. She was pleasant and polite to all the guests and participated in some conversations where the topic was relevant to her interests. She wasn't clinging to Hilda like Hilda had thought she would. She stayed close but never seemed uncomfortable. And now she was just gone.

Hilda tried calling her, but Marianne either didn't have her phone or was purposely not answering it. Where could she have gotten off to? There were so many nooks and crannies that Marianne could've gotten into in such a large house. It would be hard to search for her efficiently.

> **HILDA:** Can you let me know where you are? If you got overwhelmed that's fine. You don't have to come out. Just please tell me where you are so I know you're okay.

Hilda scooted up beside Holst who was currently going to town on a shrimp platter in the kitchen. She figured that if Marianne had made her way this far, she would've felt most comfortable around Holst. "Holst, you wouldn't have happened to see Marianne around, would you?"

Holst gave her a confused look. "Last I saw her, she was with you."

She sighed. "Okay... It's been a while since I last saw her and I'm starting to get a little worried. I'm going to go look for her. If Mom asks where I went, cover for me."

He nodded. "She couldn't have gotten far. I'll keep an eye out down here and let you know if I see her."

Hilda went upstairs to check her room first. The lights were still off when she entered. She searched the room quickly. No Marianne. She scouted through all the bathrooms upstairs next. Then the study that Marianne had liked. Then the guest rooms. No Marianne anywhere.

Hilda's stomach was starting to churn. If she hadn't gone upstairs, where would she go? The party was loud on the main floor so if she needed a break then anywhere upstairs would've been prime real estate. Hilda couldn't imagine she would go to the basement. She tried calling her again and she didn't answer.

> **HILDA:** I'm starting to get a little worried now. If you could please answer my texts or call me or something that would be great.

She went back downstairs, nearly missing the bottom step in her panic. She spotted Holst and quickly made a beeline for him only to be stopped by Heidi. She nearly ran into her. "Heidi, not now," Hilda grumbled. "I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"Haven't seen your girlfriend in a while," Heidi sneered. "Committing acts of sin, I presume. You have your poor brother covering for you while you make your bed with the devil."

"Oh, please," Hilda said crossing her arms. She couldn't help herself from continuing. "Get that stick out of your ass. Just because I can have good sex and all you do is missionary and give your husband blowies, does not mean you get to take it out on me. I'm sure he's never gone down on you and you're just bitter."

Heidi blushed brightly. "You don't know anything about it, bitch. At least I'm not going to hell."

"You're already there," said with fake sympathy. "What's it like doing all the chores, watching your child, and being your husband's sex toy? Must be rough. I couldn't do what you do, Heidi. You really are a saint. I'll pray for you."

Heidi's eyes narrowed but that seemed to have shut her up.

Hilda continued even though she'd already won. She couldn't help herself. She'd been wanting to say this for years and her anxiety of losing Marianne was pumping her full of adrenaline. "And speaking of that son of yours? Did you even want him or did your idiot husband forget to pull out while he was using you like a fleshlight?"

Heidi cracked Hilda across the face with an open hand as hard as she could. Hilda stumbled back, completely unprepared to have been smacked like that. She saw stars for a second; Heidi had not held back. At least she deserved it. That last comment had been too far.

"You're the worst," Heidi said with tears in her eyes. "You don't know anything. Fucking die, whore." She stormed off.

Holst, who had been watching from a short ways away, came over to Hilda's side and helped steady her. Thankfully they weren't in the main area of the party so only a few people were watching. Everyone around was slowly going back to normal as if nothing had happened. Hilda's cheek was bright red and she couldn't help the tears in her eyes.

"You okay?" Holst asked.

"I'm-I'm fine..." Hilda rubbed her cheek gently. It still stung.

"When I asked for drama, I didn't mean violence, Hildy."

"This is getting little out of hand for me too," she admitted. "I just can't find Marianne. She came at a poor time."

Their mother appeared before them and she did not look happy. "Backroom. Both of you. Now." The two didn't argue and quickly made their way to the room knowing full well the consequences of disobeying their mother when she was like this. Once they had all gathered in the backroom, their mother glared at them. "Hilda Valentine Goneril, would you care to share what happened?"

Hilda looked down at her feet, her face flushing. Her mother was pissed. "Heidi told me I was going to hell and then I said some things I won't repeat. I shouldn't have said them... I'm really sorry."

Her mother let out a sharp breath. "This is why I didn't let Holst do this last year. I thought you would be a little more mature in how you handled things with your less accepting relatives. Clearly, I was wrong in that assumption."

Hilda held back tears. "I really am sorry... I'm just a little stressed out right now. I don't know where Marianne is. It's been like almost an hour and I haven't seen her."

"What do you mean you don't know where she is?"

"She said she was going to the kitchen and I haven't seen her since. I searched everywhere upstairs and I couldn't find her. I'm getting really worried and Heidi came to bother me as I was searching."

Her mother sighed. "Okay. Well, continue to look for her. She has to be around here somewhere. We would've heard something if she tried to leave. Go on."

Hilda didn't waste a second leaving the room and continuing her search through the house. She floated through the party for a moment then went downstairs to check if Marianne was there. Only her father and his friends were down there drinking and playing poker. She checked the wine cellar. No Marianne.

Hilda went back upstairs. She was shaking now. She went to her room again and tore the whole thing apart. Just as she was starting to get desperate, she flung open the closet and Marianne was sitting tucked in the corner underneath a blanket. She looked like she had just woken up and yawned.

"Hilda?" Marianne mumbled, her eyes still adjusting to the light. 

"Marianne!" Hilda exclaimed. She jumped on top of her and wrapped her arms around her neck. "Why are you hiding in the closet?"

"Um... it's kind of a long story..."

"What happened?"

"Well, your cousin pulled me aside when I left you. She asked if we could talk and I was trying to be pleasant so I said yes. She started spitting bible shit at me and telling me I was going to hell." Marianne rolled her eyes. "Of course, I refuted it all. I told her you could be religious and also be gay and that there was nothing wrong with that. She got... really mad at me."

"Did she hurt you?" 

"I excused myself before she could, but I think she was getting there. She followed me upstairs so I hid in the bathroom until she left. Then I came in here and thought I would just lie down for a minute until you noticed I was missing. I must've fallen asleep. I'm sorry."

Hilda was steaming now. All of her anxiety turned to pure rage. "That bitch. I'm going to fucking kill her." Hilda got up with a huff and left the room.

Back at the party, she scanned the room until she spotted Heidi. With no hesitation, she went up to her, tapped her lightly on the shoulder, then punched her hard in the face when she turned around. Heidi fell to the ground spilling her drink everywhere. She gave Hilda a dark glare.

"If you ever fucking threaten my girlfriend again, I will not be so merciful," Hilda growled. 

Heidi frowned at her. "That thing you call a girlfriend is just as disgusting and lowly as you are. You deserve each other."

Hilda knew she shouldn't have done it but Heidi had pushed her too far this time. She could say whatever she wanted about Hilda, but to say such a thing about Marianne? Hilda pounced on top of her started punching her repeatedly. It was very cathartic in the moment but Hilda knew she was going to be grounded for life. Even so, she didn't hold back. Heidi screamed and barely tried to fight back. Suddenly, arms looped around Hilda and she was yanked up off of Heidi.

Holst held her tightly in his arms. He pulled her away from Heidi while Heidi's husband helped her to her feet. She had a bloody nose and her face was already starting to swell. Hilda had gotten away with some scratches here and there.

Hilda kicked and punched at Holst. "Let me go! I'm going to kill her."

Hilda's father interrupted now, standing between the two girls. He looked between them with a stern glare. "What is going on?"

Heidi pointed at Hilda accusingly and mixed some crocodile tears in with her real ones. "Your daughter is a menace! She just started beating me up!"

"As if!" Hilda spit. "You're gonna act like you're so innocent."

"Uncle, your children are just horrendous," Heidi said, clutching Hilda's father's arm. "You really should've raised them better. And to let them both have homosexual relations, I can't believe it."

Hilda strained against Holst's arms. She wanted to wring Heidi's neck so badly. She knew if their father wasn't there he would've let her go to finish the job.

"Heidi, I respect you enough, but you cannot come into my house and say those things about my children." Their father's voice was cold. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you and your family to leave."

Heidi's eyes narrowed at him and she pulled away. "Fine. Don't expect us at any other family functions until you can cleanse your children of their vile habits." She and her husband went off to go collect their things.

Their father turned to them. Even though he had just defended them, he looked angry. He pointed at Holst. "Take her to her room to cool off, please. I have to do some damage control."

Holst nodded and threw Hilda up over his shoulder. She had stopped trying to fight him and let it happen. It was over now so there was no sense in fighting it anymore. He passed Marianne who had been hiding out on the edge of the room watching the whole thing go down. He gestured for her to follow. She nodded and tiptoed after him as he carried Hilda back up to her room. He set her gently on the bed and she deflated instantly. All the fight had left her and she started to cry. 

Holst patted her cheek. "You got into a fistfight with Heidi. Nice job."

"Mom's going to be so mad at me," Hilda said through her tears.

"More than likely. I have no idea what the punishment for this could even be. You might die before you're ungrounded."

Hilda began to cry even harder.

Marianne sat on the edge of the bed. "Holst, if you could excuse us. I'll calm her down."

He nodded once and left the room.

Marianne laid down beside Hilda and wrapped her arms around her. She gently ran her hand up and down Hilda's back applying a small amount of pressure while Hilda sobbed into her chest. "It's okay," she murmured. "You're alright. I'm right here. You're going to be okay."

It took Hilda a few minutes to calm down again. Her tears had stopped but she was still trembling in Marianne's arms. Marianne kept up the gentle rhythm she had as she rubbed her back. She was breathing in slow, long breaths for Hilda to mimic. 

Hilda wiped her eyes. "Y-You're really good at this," she said quietly. She focused on Marianne's breathing and tried to match it as best she could. Her breathing was still a little too shaky to get there but it was easing.

Marianne pet her hair. "Years of therapy and learning how to self-soothe come in handy, I suppose." She moved easily when Hilda pulled her on top of herself. She smiled softly and gave Hilda a gentle kiss on the forehead.

"What... what were you in therapy for?" Hilda asked just as a way to talk about something and distract herself.

Marianne chuckled. "That's a blunt question. Um, this and that. Generalized anxiety and depression mostly, but I had some other things I had to work on too. That stuff was more social skill and focus oriented."

"Are you better now?"

"I still have good and bad days. They're mostly good now so in a way, yes."

"That's good." Hilda looked away. Her curiosity was burning but she figured it best not to pry.

"I'm okay," Marianne said, nuzzling her. "You know, one of the things I struggled with was my sexuality. Er, well, I still struggle with it now. I was raised in a very, very religious household. I used to think a lot like your cousin, though maybe not enough to threaten violence. So when I started having feelings towards other girls, I didn't know what to do."

"I'm sorry," Hilda murmured.

Marianne shrugged. "Things happen. But I isolated myself in high school because of it. I didn't want anyone to be associated with me because, to me, I was the scum of the Earth. I would go home and see all the crosses in my house then go to my room to look at pictures of women and touch myself. I felt so ashamed but I wanted it so badly.

"You know, I've always let you do what you do because it felt nice to be validated for once. Getting aroused by a girl who seemed like she liked me... effervescent." She laughed. "Too bad it took you so long to kiss me. I've been waiting for forever. I finally just did it myself."

"I do like you," Hilda whispered. 

Marianne smiled. "Well, duh. We're friends."

"No, Marianne, I like you," Hilda repeated more forcefully.

"Yeah, as a friend."

"Oh my God, no! I want to make out with you for hours and hold you and sleep next to you and have sex with you and everything else."

Marianne looked startled. "Yeah, but like platonically, right?"

Hilda grabbed her face and kissed her hard. She had to send all of her feelings into this one kiss. She loved her, she loved her, she loved her. She was in love with a girl named Marianne Edmund. She loved her more than words could ever express.

Her heart was pounding in her chest. Marianne was a surprisingly good kisser. Marianne slipped her tongue into Hilda's mouth and pressed her harder against the bed. Her hands started to roam over Hilda's body. One of them came to rest on Hilda's breast and she gripped her over her dress. Hilda moaned softly. It felt amazing.

Holst burst into the room. "Heidi left so—oh, damn..."

The girls sprung apart and Hilda threw a pillow at him without even thinking. "Jesus Christ, knock first!" Hilda screamed. "Get out!"

Holst slammed the door shut. "Sorry! I'm sorry! Mom told me to come get you so you better wrap it up!"

Hilda flopped back against the bed. She felt completely overwhelmed. Too much was happening to fast. Marianne leaned over her and her blurry eyes focused on her face. Marianne had the sweetest smile. Hilda bubbled up with laughter and started to cry again.

"What's wrong?" Marianne said quickly wiping Hilda's tears away.

"God, I wanted to stir up drama and I sure got it," Hilda murmured. "I'm glad we got it out of the way this year, though. I can't imagine spending next Christmas without you."

Marianne looked taken aback. "You're inviting me to next year's Christmas party? After this fiasco?"

"Marianne, I cannot express to you how I've felt the last few days," Hilda cupped Marianne's face. "Coming home for Christmas has always been more of a chore than anything else. I love my family but they're also a lot. This is literally the happiest I've been in a while."

"If I go next year, will I be your fake girlfriend or your real one this time?"

Hilda blushed and looked away. "I... was hoping my real one."

Marianne smiled. "Your offer is much too good to refuse." She leaned in and kissed Hilda again.


	8. End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to the end~ <3  
hope you enjoyed the ride! also lol remember when i said this would be a short fic.

After everything had settled down, the party had mostly dispersed. The few relatives that were spending the night had been put up in their rooms and the main floor was quiet once again. Hilda's parents hadn't decided how to punish her yet as they were still finishing up wrapping up her mess. All they said was she would have to spend the rest of the evening in her room until they decided on the real punishment. Hilda thought she had gotten off easy until they added that absolutely no technology was allowed and no Marianne either.

Marianne didn't understand why she was being punished as well. She wasn't the one who had schemed this whole thing up and she also wasn't the one who had gotten into a fight during the party. All Hilda's parents said was that if she felt more comfortable, she could spend the night in Holst's room. Marianne opted to take her own room.

She wandered the house for a little bit after Hilda had been sent to her room. She greeted all the cats that had now come out of hiding after the excitement. She sat on the couch in the great room in her pajamas and wondered what it would've been like to grow up here. It was certainly much different than what Marianne had had. Her home was bigger now but growing up she hadn't had much more than a bedroom to herself.

Holst came into the room carrying two cups of hot chocolate. He offered one to Marianne as he leaned against the arm of the couch. "Peppermint."

Marianne took it gingerly. It smelled delicious. "What's this for?"

Holst looked offended. "Can't a guy just be nice? You know I'm a gentleman at heart."

"I know your type, Holst. You and Hilda are not as different as you’d like to think.” She took a sip of her drink and looked at him over the rim with raised eyebrows.

He chuckled. "You’re much too smart for either of us. Well, anyway, I figured you were waiting for everyone to go to sleep to sneak into Hilda's room. Mom and Dad just went to bed. However, if you wanted to spend your Christmas evening with me, I wouldn't say no."

"I respectfully decline."

"Wow, no hesitation. Well, I hope you two have a good night." He stood up and held out a small box to Marianne. "Here. Merry Christmas from a big brother." He left the room, winking at her as he turned out of the room.

Marianne was more than confused. She opened up the box and inside was Hilda's phone. Marianne laughed to herself. Holst loved his sister more than he'd ever let on. She pocketed the phone and settled into the couch.

She waited downstairs for a short time longer. She didn't want to push her luck if Hilda's parents had just gone to bed. Once she had finished her hot chocolate, she crept upstairs and down to Hilda's room. As softly as she could, she knocked on the door.

The door opened almost instantly and Hilda wrapped Marianne in a bear hug. She pulled her into the bedroom and then closed the door softly behind them. Without waiting a moment longer, she kissed Marianne. It was a short kiss but enough to send a shock through Marianne. She let out a soft sigh when Hilda pulled away.

"I thought you weren't coming," Hilda whispered as she gripped the sides of Marianne's shirt. She rested her head against Marianne's chest. "I don't want to admit that I missed you already."

Marianne chuckled softly. "I missed you too." She reached in her pocket and pulled out Hilda's phone. "A gift from Holst."

Hilda grabbed it and smiled to herself. "That idiot. I'll have to actually thank him later."

Marianne took Hilda's hand and brought it up to her lips. "Should we lie down?

Hilda's heart skipped and she blushed. "U-Um... yeah, of course."

The girls settled on Hilda’s bed. They piled the pillows around them and snuggled up under a blanket. The room was quiet as they held each other. Marianne was starting to drift off to sleep. She twirled Hilda's hair around her fingers absently. The room was serene and Marianne was just starting to drift off.

"Oh!" Hilda said suddenly. Marianne jumped slightly as Hilda's hand banged into her chest. "I almost forgot." She crawled out of bed and went to one of her bags. She searched through it quickly then brought a small box over to Marianne. "For you."

Marianne sat up slowly and opened up the box only to find it filled with socks. She tilted her head to the side then looked at Hilda. "Socks are a lovely gift."

Hilda chuckled. "Well, take them out."

Marianne nodded and took out each pair, studying each one carefully. There didn't seem to be any set pattern to any of them. They were just rainbow-colored and different lengths. She got to the last pair and they were slightly heavier than the rest. She pulled them apart and dumped out another box. Upon opening it, all that was inside was a piece of paper. She took it out and neatly written was, 'IOU.' She looked back up at Hilda thoroughly confused.

"I couldn't think of a good gift," Hilda admitted sheepishly. "So I'll get you a better gift soon. For now it just... socks." She waggled her eyebrows at the pun.

Marianne laughed so hard she fell over. Hilda quickly jumped on top of her and held her hand over her mouth. Marianne still giggled through her hand.

"Shhh," Hilda hissed. "We have to be quiet."

Marianne pushed Hilda off of her as the last of her giggles left her. "Sorry. Sorry.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “Now you owe me twice. The party is over so I can collect.”

"What do you want so badly? All I could think of was you wanting a horse because I could, in theory, afford one."

Marianne looked shocked. She sat up again and held both of Hilda's hands. "Wait, can I ask for that?"

Hilda shook her head vigorously. “No, no, no. If you had something else in mind, then you have to ask for that first.”

Marianne pouted. “Fine… But now all I’m thinking about is a horse.” She looked up at the ceiling, her stomach starting to do summersaults. “Well, I was going to ask you to… take me on a date. Not sure if you want to anymore.”

“We could go on a date,” Hilda said quickly. “A nice date if you want. Preferably one that doesn’t involve me fighting my cousin.”

“That would be nice,” Marianne said with a nod. She grabbed Hilda around the neck and pulled her into a kiss.

They chatted quietly for a long time. There was so much Marianne had to talk about that Hilda had never heard her say before. She hung on every word. Marianne was so interesting and calm when she talked. Hilda could only understand bits and pieces about certain topics but she enjoyed it nonetheless. She only interrupted when she was too overwhelmed with emotion and had to kiss her. 

They kissed a lot once Hilda couldn’t stand it anymore. She let Marianne push her back on the bed and pin her down while they kissed. Marianne was surprisingly forward in her affection. Hilda wondered how long she’d been wanting this to happen. To be able to run her hands through Hilda’s hair and feel her mouth on hers. Hilda had never felt particularly guilty or persecuted for her orientation. Sure, her extended family was shit but her parents were generally accepting of everything. She didn’t know what it felt like to have everything validated in a single kiss. Marianne must’ve felt liberated. Free from chains she didn’t even know were holding her.

Hilda let Marianne kiss up and down her neck, leaving small marks at the edge of her shirt collar. Hilda sighed softly. Marianne’s kisses felt amazing. They were sloppy and tender and fierce all at the same time. Her inexperience mixed with her enthusiasm drove Hilda crazy. When Marianne gently lifted Hilda's shirt with a questioning look, Hilda practically pulled it off for her. 

They lied together topless for a while. Their hands roamed over each other's bodies. Marianne was forward in grabbing Hilda’s breasts and playing with them. Her hands traced their curves and her thumbs gently ran over her nipples. Hilda moaned softly and brought Marianne’s face closer to her chest.

“Go ahead, if you want,” Hilda murmured.

Marianne's mouth moved eagerly over Hilda’s chest. She moved sloppily and was having trouble finding a good grove even with Hilda’s gentle direction. Hilda pushed her off after another moment.

“Like this,” Hilda said as she flipped Marianne over.

She gently kissed Marianne’s nipples. Marianne sucked in a sharp breath and her hand started to grip the bedsheet. Hilda set to work teasing Marianne’s chest softly. Marianne’s moans here soft and uncertain like she wasn’t sure she should enjoy having her nipples licked. Her hips left the bed and she let out a particularly hearty moan as Hilda hit a sweet spot. Hilda stopped and covered up Marianne’s mouth.

“Shhh, be quiet,” she whispered. She leaned in closer to Marianne’s ear and kissed her earlobe while her hand still toyed with her breast. “Did you like that?”

Marianne nodded slowly, her breathing uneven. Hilda could tell she was trying not to make any more noise. It was entirely too cute watching her face strain with the effort of keeping quiet. All it did was make Hilda want to tease her endlessly.

“Can I try again?” Marianne asked now. “I think I got it.”

Hilda nodded and rolled back over to let Marianne have a go at her again. This time Hilda was the one straining to not make any noise. She hadn’t accounted for how quick of a learner Marianne was. She was replicating everything Hilda had done and even doing other things Hilda hadn’t. Hilda was practically writhing on the bed. Marianne's kisses dipped to the waistband of Hilda's sweatpants. Hilda bit her lip and ran a nervous hand through Marianne's hair.

"Um... I..." Hilda murmured.

"Nervous?" Marianne asked.

"Aren't you?"

"Well... yeah."

Hilda let out a short laugh. Marianne could've fooled her with that almost blank, dazed expression. She pet Marianne again. "It's certainly not my first time but I don't know. I want it to be really special for us. Like I always imagined it being this really hot and sexy romp after we got caught in the rain and we had to undress each other in our hotel room and there was only one bed." Marianne gave her a look. "I mean, not that I imagined it often, okay? Shut up." She shoved her hand in Marianne’s face to get her to stop looking at her. "What if it's not good and you hate me? I’ve only had sex on a handful of occasions. I’m not a master or anything."

"I wouldn't hate you if it's bad. I have no experience so whatever you have is more than me. Besides, sex is all about communication. We're going to mess up no matter what because we don't know each other's bodies yet."

"It's just been a while since I've had sex so I haven't prepared. I didn't think we'd get this far in a night. I'm wearing ugly underwear."

"I'm wearing boxer briefs if you want to talk about not sexy underwear. Those things don't matter to me as much as hearing you moan.” Marianne’s nails dug into Hilda’s side and Hilda let out a soft breath, a moan mixed in with it. “If you're not ready though, we don't have to. I'm in no rush."

Hilda looked up at the ceiling while she ran her hand through Marianne’s hair. "You’re a virgin?”

Marianne nodded. "Yeah, but I've waited this long. What's a little more?"

Hilda pulled Marianne up so they were face to face. "I want your first time to be really nice. I haven't put on my best outfit and I haven't shaved in a while. That's like a huge turnoff for some people."

Marianne laughed. "It doesn't matter to me. You're concerned about the strangest things. You'd think you'd be more concerned about the fact this is my first time ever going down on someone."

Hilda hadn't even thought about that. If Marianne's bumbling foreplay was any indication of how the sex would start out, it would be a rocky beginning. Still, Hilda could coach her through it. "If you're absolutely sure that it's fine, we can... Just take it slow for my pussy’s sake."

Hilda woke up to the sound of her alarm going off and completely naked. Sunlight was peeping in through the gaps in her blinds. It was already ten and her parents hadn’t come to find her, which she supposed was a good thing. Marianne had completely flipped herself around in bed and had her feet by Hilda’s head. She was barely covered up with her breasts completely exposed and almost her entire crotch out as well. It certainly wouldn’t have been the best sight for her parents to walk in on considering the fact she wasn’t supposed to have Marianne in her room at all. If they found out they had sex, her parents would probably be livid. Hilda covered Marianne up with the blanket.

She yawned and stretched. Her body felt amazing. Not only had Marianne been incredible in bed but her pillow talk had made Hilda feel like the only girl in the world. It made Hilda tingle just thinking about it. Marianne’s sweet and soothing voice made everything she said drip with honey. She probably could’ve said that Hilda’s pussy was slick as a Slip ‘N Slide and Hilda would’ve melted.

The only thing Hilda felt somewhat guilty about was that Marianne hadn't let her go down on her in return. Hilda really wasn’t a fan of giving oral but she certainly wasn’t above doing it, especially for Marianne. She had pressed Marianne slightly, insisting that she would be more than happy to go down on her. But Marianne had sheepishly said that she would be fine if she just gave herself something quick. Hilda let up after that. It had taken her a couple of times before she was willing to let anyone put their face down there. Marianne was probably still uncomfortable about the thought. Or perhaps she was still feeling guilty about the sex as a whole. Hilda wasn’t sure but she’d let Marianne come around in her own time if she ever did.

Hilda took a picture of herself. She made sure her chest was mostly covered up, leaving just a little bit of cleavage showing. She smiled and put her hand up in a peace sign. She sent the photo to Dorothea.

> **HILDA:** Guess who got laid.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** You didn't. With Marianne???? 
> 
> **HILDA:** Mhmmmm
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Oh my God how was it?
> 
> **HILDA:** Incredible. Guh she was so good I'm still feeling it. 
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** I can't believe you fucked her! I’m so proud of you.
> 
> **HILDA:** She fucked me actually.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Tmi but oh my god Marianne tops????
> 
> **HILDA:** Really well. Dorothea I might've been a little love drunk but on god that was the best sex I've ever had. She made me feel like a goddess.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Wow. Amazing.

Hilda got a ping from the group chat. She opened up the message and saw that Dorothea had sent her photo to the group.

> **DOROTHEA:** Look at our lucky girl!!! 
> 
> **HILDA:** Is this... where I die?
> 
> **CLAUDE:** Damn the afterglow still goin!!!
> 
> **HILDA:** I hate you guys so fucking much.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Don't flirt with Edelgard okay?? 
> 
> **HILDA:** Remember when Claude said he was scared of you? Yeah me too now.
> 
> **EDELGARD:** Oh my. You do look quite happy at least. Congratulations!
> 
> **HILDA:** Thanks…
> 
> **CLAUDE:** I'm so proud 
> 
> **HILDA:** Ugh I still hate you all.
> 
> **EDELGARD:** I’ve learned that you must be careful with any secrets you share with Dorothea. I love her to death but she is a ruthless warrior.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Aww I’m not that bad am I? 
> 
> **EDELGARD:** Dear, you are the queen of psychological warfare. It is one of the things I love about you.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Oh you flatter me Edie. I love you so much.
> 
> **HILDA:** GET A ROOM.
> 
> **CLAUDE:** Nooooo I wanted to see where this was going. Their flirting is so interesting. It’s like a nature documentary.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Claude turn on your location I just want to talk.

Hilda sat in the kitchen with Marianne as they ate breakfast. It had taken Hilda about fifteen minutes to wrestle her out of bed and get her to put clothes back on as she was extremely tired and extremely cuddly. Hilda wouldn’t have minded either of those under different circumstances but she really needed Marianne to not look like they had just had sex all night. She had forced a brush through Marianne’s hair and then pushed her out into the hallway while she got ready.

Hilda’s parents had still not come to find her and Hilda was starting to feel worried. They probably were looking up to what extent of the law they could punish her. She could only imagine that whatever they came up with would be horrible. She just hoped it wouldn’t affect Marianne too much.

Marianne seemed completely normal, as usual. She sipped her coffee and stirred the eggs on her plate. It was like nothing had happened to her. Like she hadn’t had two fingers knuckle deep in Hilda the night before. Hilda hated how she could be so calm about everything meanwhile she was silently freaking out over her parents and the fact that Marianne had had sex with her. Her brain felt too full to process any of it.

“You’re being awfully quiet,” Marianne said. She still sounded tired but her voice was soft like it had been when she was sweet-talking Hilda. Hilda nearly melted.

“Sorry,” Hilda responded after a moment. “Worried about some things.”

“Do you need to talk about it?”

Hilda was surprised at the question. She hadn’t thought about even talking to Marianne about her problems. She sighed. “Worried about my parents and stuff.”

Marianne smiled gently and pecked Hilda’s cheek. “It’ll be okay.”

“Hilda!” Hilda’s mother called.

Hilda nearly fell out of her seat as she scrambled into the great room. Her parents were standing by the fireplace chatting casually as she entered the room. She made her way over to them sheepishly. Marianne stayed by the doorway to the room to watch from afar.

“Hilda, we’ve decided that we aren’t going to punish you,” her mother said.

Hilda deflated. “Wh-What?”

“You already didn’t follow our orders last night,” her mother continued. “Marianne was clearly in your room last night and your phone was missing. We figured that any punishment we decided to give you would easily be sidestepped. Grounding you would also not work as Marianne is still here and we can’t send her home.”

Hilda nodded once.

“Just know that we aren’t proud of what you did. However, you’re an adult. You can make your own decisions and you can live with the consequences of them. That is all.”

Hilda folded her hands in front of her. “I would just like to apologize for everything,” she murmured. “Things got out of hand faster than I thought they would. I’m really sorry.”

“Thank you for apologizing,” Hilda’s mother said.

Hilda nodded once then left the room. Marianne caught her in her arms when she entered the kitchen again. She held her tightly, squeezing all the air out of Hilda. Hilda was shaking slightly as she clung to Marianne. She laughed nervously.

“They didn’t ground me.”

“Congratulations.”

Hilda kissed Marianne softly. “Fuck me,” she mumbled. “I’m shaking.”

Marianne laughed. “We did that last night but I would be more than willing to do it again.”

Hilda cupped Marianne's face. “If we’re quiet, I think we can,” she whispered back.

Hilda was panting as she pulled Marianne up from between her legs. She quickly pulled her pants back up and settled her clothes back into place. Marianne was breathing heavily as well as she settled in beside her. Hilda turned to her and kissed her hard. Her face was wet but Hilda didn’t care. Hilda could barely think about anything that wasn’t Marianne touching her.

Hilda climbed on top of Marianne. Marianne’s hands began to roam her body, grabbing her butt, back, hair, anything she could touch. Hilda snuck a hand between Marianne’s legs and began to rub her over the pants. She moaned softly into Hilda’s mouth then pulled Hilda's hand away.

“Sorry,” Hilda said quickly.

Marianne shook her head. “You’re fine.”

Hilda let out a slow breath. She had gotten too ahead of herself but Marianne didn't seem to mind. “Um, is there anything I can do for you?”

Marianne looked thoughtful. “I’m still kind of interested in the horse you were talking about getting me.”

“I meant a sexual favor,” Hilda said with a laugh. She patted Marianne on the cheek. "Anything you want. Ask and you shall receive."

Marianne looked away as a blush started to creep into her cheeks. “Well, you could tell me I did a good job.”

Hilda ran her hand through Marianne’s hair and smiled gently. “You did a really good job.”

Marianne’s breath hitched and she bit the inside of her cheek. Hilda raised her eyebrows slightly and Marianne’s face flushed even more.

“Um, I…” Marianne started as she fiddled with the hem of Hilda's shirt.

“Have a praise kink,” Hilda said with a sly smile. “You want me to tell you what a good girl you are.” She cupped Marianne’s face in her hands. “Oh, you’re such a good girl. You learned oral so fast!”

Marianne’s eyes widened. “Stop,” she whimpered. “It hurts my heart.”

“Oh, but you’re so good in bed,” Hilda cooed. “How could I not tell you how amazing you are?” She scratched underneath Marianne’s chin. “You listen and follow directions so well.”

Marianne sighed. Hilda was making her head spin from the praise. It felt so good and she didn’t want Hilda to stop. “Hilda,” she whimpered. “Stop making fun of me.”

“I’ve been trying to figure out what turned you on for so long,” Hilda said. “You don’t react to kissing or touching really unless you get to do it to me. You don’t like dirty talk either. I’m glad I finally got the answer.”

“Don’t abuse it,” Marianne pleaded. “I’m too soft.”

“I won’t. I’m only going to use it when absolutely necessary.”

Marianne didn’t seem too thrilled about that. She pulled Hilda down on top of her and kissed her roughly.

> **HILDA:** Introducing Marianne Edmund into the chat.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** About time!!
> 
> **CLAUDE:** Hey Marianne.
> 
> **MARIANNE:** Hello.
> 
> **EDELGARD:** Oh, hello! It’s a pleasure to finally talk to you! I’ve heard a lot about you.
> 
> **MARIANNE:** You have?
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Oh we know everything sweetie.
> 
> **HILDA:** Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutup. I’m going to kms. I’ll tell the group what you and Edelgard get up to!!!
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** I’m okay with that.
> 
> **EDELGARD:** I am not. Hilda, I will keep her in check.
> 
> **HILDA:** Come through Edelgard
> 
> **HILDA: **
> 
> **MARIANNE:** Do I want to know?
> 
> **HILDA:** NO.
> 
> **HILDA:** Dorothea I see you typing and I will not hesitate to send Edelgard that picture of you that you told me to never show anyone.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** I thought you deleted that!
> 
> **HILDA:** I did not so you better shut.
> 
> **CLAUDE:** What’s this picture? Send me pls?
> 
> **EDELGARD:** Oh, I’m curious as well.
> 
> **DOROTHEA:** Aha we should all pretend Hilda didn’t say anything.
> 
> **HILDA:**
> 
> **MARIANNE:** I’m silencing this.
> 
> **CLAUDE:** Stone cold.
> 
> **EDELGARD:** That's valid.

Hilda was sitting with her head resting in Marianne’s lap. They were in the great room sitting on the floor beside the fireplace. They were binge-watching a show on Netflix that Hilda had been dying to watch. It was the last day of vacation for them. They would be traveling back to school the next day and then they would start a new semester together.

Hilda certainly didn’t want to go back to school. The last two weeks had been almost like a dream. She wished she could stay in their wintery dreamland for the rest of their lives. Marianne was so perfect and beautiful. Hilda was afraid that going back to school would ruin the magic. That she would have to wake up from this dream eventually and Marianne wouldn't be waiting for her when she opened her eyes.

Marianne had braided Hilda’s hair and was currently taking it out again to redo it. It was her third time doing so. She brushed Hilda’s hair out gently. Hilda closed her eyes and let herself be taken in by Marianne's soothing brushing. Her heart started to beat faster as one of Marianne's hands drifted down Hilda's shoulder to her arm and came to rest in her hand.

Hilda looked up at her and smiled softly. She reached up and caressed the side of Marianne's face. Marianne leaned down and kissed her gently.

“I don’t want to go to school,” Hilda murmured.

Marianne laughed. “I do. I miss school.”

“Being with me not enough for you?” Hilda felt her chest pull a little bit. Marianne sounded too excited to go back.

“It’s plenty. I’m just ready to be on campus again. We can go on a date there. It’ll be fun.”

“You’re right… I just like here too.” Hilda pressed against Marianne and pulled Marianne's arms tightly around her. "We're good here."

“Yes, here is very nice." Marianne kissed the top of Hilda's head and nuzzled her. "Unfortunately, our lives must go on.”

Hilda took a deep breath and sat up. “Um, Marianne… I… love you.”

Marianne smiled. “That’s nice.”

Hilda’s jaw dropped. She jokingly grabbed Marianne around the neck and shook her. “Marianne, are you serious? Don't be a brat.”

Marianne laughed and batted Hilda away. “Fine, okay. I love you too.”

Hilda rolled her eyes. “Thank you… for everything.”

“You’re welcome, honey.”

Hilda blushed and settled back into Marianne’s arms. “I love you.”


End file.
